Black Mortgage Professionals & Allies Networking event returns for 2025

The Black Mortgage Professionals & Allies Networking (BMPAN) event returned for its third instalment on Monday 12th May, hosted in partnership with Barclays at its Canary Wharf HQ, bringing together over 120 professionals from across the mortgage and financial services sector.

Themed “Build. Become. Belong.”, the evening created a space for black professionals and allies to share experiences, foster new connections, and drive conversations around leadership, confidence, and inclusion in the industry.

The programme opened with a welcome from Lesley Cappellaro, regional manager at Barclays, followed by a fireside chat on building a mortgage business with Rob Gill, managing director of Altura Mortgage Finance, and Joel Bailey-Wilson, founder of Meta Mortgages, facilitated by Atlyn Forde, head of inclusion and engagement at Pepper Money and BMPAN co-founder.

The main panel discussion, hosted by Jeffrey Krampah-Williams, national key account manager at Santander and BMPAN co-founder, featured insights from Sidney Wager, managing director of London & Country, Nina Brown, protection adviser at Pam Brown Mortgages, independent consultant Edwin Elder, and Abi Muazu, business development manager at Barclays.

The evening was led by BMPAN co-founder and mortgage & protection specialist, Aleka Gutzmore, who guided guests through the agenda and closed the event with reflections and next steps.

Industry attendees included professionals from Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Nationwide, Santander, Legal & General, Mortgage Advice Bureau, Pepper Money, Skipton Building Society, and L&C.

Following past events hosted by HSBC and Nationwide, the next Black Mortgage Professionals & Allies Networking event will take place in October 2025, hosted by Lloyds Banking Group.

Aleka Gutzmore, co-founder of BMPAN, said: “It’s not just about being in the room — it’s about building something together. We want Black professionals and allies to connect, grow and belong. That’s what this space is for.”

Pam Brown, owner of Pam Brown Mortgages, commented: “We showed up last night. We have to make sure there isn’t a glass ceiling because of the colour of your skin. We won’t make progress standing on the sidelines"

Dom Scott, MD of Lifetime Connect and attendee, noted: “The atmosphere was electric — open, honest, and full of purpose. I left the event both energised and reflective. We need more of this across the industry.”

Atlyn Forde, co-founder, added: “We launched this event to change the narrative. There is a visible lack of representation, equity, and support for Black professionals in our industry. This space is about making change happen through community, visibility and shared growth.”