Day in the Life - Ashleigh Clark
This editorial was originally published by Mortgage Strategy.
My alarm goes off at...
Around 5:30am. Depending on the day, I like to make sure I have time for a gym session or a yoga flow before my workday starts. I’m very much a morning person and feel the early start sets the right tone for my day – even if it’s quite hard to keep them going during the colder months!
My typical day entails...
Going through my emails as soon as I log on and reading up on the latest news relating to the UK economy, home finance announcements and any other stories relating to Islamic or ethical finance.
I then often have meetings with the rest of my team to discuss our priorities and plan for any announcements or activity peaks we have coming up.
The rest of my day can involve working with other colleagues from the Bank to support them in writing articles relating to the UK buy-to-let market, for example, or working on explainer articles about the growth of Shariah-compliant finance.
I also monitor any new stories that mention Gatehouse Bank and liaise with journalists to keep them up to date with our product offerings.
I wanted to work in the mortgage industry because...
Having studied English and journalism, I didn’t necessarily see myself working in banking and the home finance industry, however, I’ve always enjoyed working with others to make complex subjects accessible to a wider audience and the world of home finance definitely allows me to do that.
I find it really rewarding to help get the word out about the opportunities that Shariah-compliant finance can offer to everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs and to be part of a team working to remove lingering misconceptions about the industry.
Something that surprised me about my job is...
How varied it can be on a day-to-day basis. One day I can be writing a press release to announce changes to our products and the next I can be supporting one of the Bank’s spokespeople to prepare ahead of a big industry event or meeting with journalists working within the sector.
A misconception about my role is...
Quite similar to what surprised me most about my role because I think people often think that news relating to home finance or banking can be quite boring, whereas it’s always changing and really closely linked to wider political and cultural events.
I’ve learnt a lot since I started working in the industry and it’s surprised me how much it evolves, even within quite a short space of time.
A perk of the job is...
Working with my wonderful colleagues in the Communications team at Gatehouse Bank, but also getting to work with such a variety of different people and areas from across the Bank as my role has led me to collaborate with almost every department in some capacity. In the past year, I’ve worked particularly closely with the BDM team on profiling articles and even attended a broker event to shadow them and see more closely how they engage with brokers and showcase our product proposition.
My favourite work memory is…
Having the opportunity to use my volunteering allowance that Gatehouse Bank gives to all colleagues, I helped out at a local charity which provides community meals to people in need. Getting hands on in the kitchen for the day was a great opportunity to not only give back to a worthy cause but also gave me time to step back and think about my work with a fresh perspective.
To unwind after work, I...
Often like to spend time cooking a new recipe or getting stuck in to a good book. Anything that keeps me away from screens for a little while is always a welcome way to end my day.