Colin Bell

Colin Bell has a diverse work experience spanning over two decades. Colin started their career as the Head of Strategy & Operations at John Charcol, an Independent Mortgage Expertise firm, where they worked for eight years. Colin then moved on to become the Chief Operating Officer at Purely Mortgages, Purely Financial Group Ltd, where they played a key role in setting up and designing operating and sales processes.

In 2006, Colin took the position of Chief Executive Officer at InterBay Funding Ltd, a specialist commercial mortgage lender. During their tenure, they successfully created and managed an 80-strong team and achieved significant financial milestones, including a £20m annual profit in the second year. Colin also negotiated a £150m warehouse line from Merrill Lynch and oversaw the merger of 5D and InterBay to create the new InterBay Group Structure.

Colin's expertise in the mortgage industry led to him being promoted to Product & New Business Director (Group) at OneSavings Bank plc. In this role, they were responsible for product and sales for property lending, particularly in brands such as Kent Reliance, InterBay Commercial, and Prestige.

In 2016, Colin joined Hampshire Trust Bank as the Managing Director of Commercial Mortgages & Bank Executive. Colin successfully launched a Commercial, Bridging & Buy to Let lending division within the bank, achieving £100m of lending in the first eight months. Colin also had full P&L control and was responsible for setting up the division from scratch.

Colin then ventured into entrepreneurship and became the Company Owner & Senior Consultant at CTB in 2017. The same year, they also co-founded Perenna and served as its COO.

Throughout their career, Colin has demonstrated strong leadership skills, financial acumen, and a track record of successfully launching and managing lending divisions and mortgage businesses.

Colin Bell attended Howsham Hall from 1980 to 1984 and Pocklington School from 1984 to 1989. Colin then pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at Northumbria University from 1989 to 1992.