This week on NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Danny Kiely, the new Head of Sales at Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB).

Danny didn’t follow the usual route. No degree. No big break. He started in 2014 delivering post at Shawbrook Bank and worked his way through operations, underwriting, BDM roles and into leadership. Step by step. One job at a time.

This episode is a proper look at what progression in financial services actually looks like when you build it from the ground up — the learning curve, the setbacks, the mentors, and the moments that push you forward.

If you're early in your career, developing a team, or looking at that next step yourself, you’ll take plenty from this one.

In this episode:

• How Danny moved from admin work to senior roles
• The skills that helped him at each stage
• Why taking your time early on pays off later
• The role of ambition, visibility and consistency
• Dealing with imposter syndrome as you move up
• How mentors shaped his approach to leadership
• What he’s focusing on now as HTB’s Head of Sales

About Danny Kiely

Danny is Head of Sales at Hampshire Trust Bank, with almost a decade across specialist lending. He started his career in entry-level operations at Shawbrook before moving into underwriting and BDM roles at MT Finance and HTB. His progression into leadership has been built on learning every part of the process and proving himself at each stage.

If you like this episode, don’t forget to share and tag NRG in your post and let us know what you liked so we can record more fantastic content for you.

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus is joined by Chris Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Atelier, to unpack what it really takes for a lending business to stay ahead.

Chris has built one of the UK’s most innovative specialist lenders, and in this conversation, he breaks down the patterns he’s seen across multiple financial cycles, the opportunities most lenders overlook, and what developers and brokers should understand about today’s environment.

Whether you’re in lending, broking, development, or leading a business through uncertainty, this episode gives you practical insight from someone who’s built, scaled, and rebuilt multiple times over.

• How Chris went from car finance innovator to mortgage broker to specialist lender

• Why the best lenders focus on behaviour, not just assets

• What’s changed in development & bridging finance — and what hasn’t

• Why COVID accelerated Atelier’s growth

• How to survive inflation, rising build costs & shifting economic cycles

• The real role of government policy in the housing market

• What developers should understand before taking on their next deal

If you like this episode, don’t forget to share and tag NRG in your post and let us know what you liked so we can record more fantastic content for you.

In this episode of NRG Insights, Marcus sits down with Joe Eden and Chris Britto, Co-Founders of Bridgemore Capital, to talk about what makes business partnerships work in finance and beyond.

With backgrounds spanning mortgages, property investment, and specialist lending, Joe and Chris have built a brokerage that’s defined by communication, trust, and mutual respect.

In this episode...

• How to build a partnership based on complementary strengths
• Why clear communication beats hierarchy every time
• The importance of educating clients, not just selling to them
• How values like respect and transparency shape long-term success
• The lessons Joe and Chris have learned building Bridgemore Capital

If you’re running a brokerage, working in specialist finance, or thinking about starting something of your own, this conversation is a masterclass in what it takes to build something that lasts.

If you like this episode, don’t forget to share and tag NRG in your post and let us know what you liked so we can record more fantastic content for you.