The business has combined an innovative digital capability with well-established and easily accessed personal service and a deep insight into the car buying and financing process and has done so very successfully.
Commenting on the landmark moment, Mann Island Finance’s MD, John Hughes, reflected:
“Over the difficult last year, we stood side-by-side with our dealers and customers. We stayed open, kept lending and provided rapid forbearance support for people who wanted such help. Our loyalty to them was rewarded by growth that saw us double our market share.
Having joined the business back in 2000, when Mann Island was a finance broker, the position we find ourselves in today as a rapidly growing challenger finance business is not one I had foreseen back then. It is true to say we have come a long way, but it is also true that, alongside the backing of our parent Investec Bank, so much of our success as a lender relies upon the ‘can-do’ culture that made Mann Island a success as a broker.”
Over the last year, when other motor finance lenders suspended or restricted their lending activity, Mann Island continued to operate normally, albeit with the team all working from home. Nobody was furloughed; in fact, the business recruited 28 new starters during lockdown. Nor was investment curtailed, during the year, a series of new digital solutions were developed and launched.
In closing, John points to the critical importance of Mann Island’s culture and people, concluding:
“In an increasingly digital age, it is an absolute commitment to service that is behind Mann Island’s success. Everybody in the business is involved in customer service; it is an ingredient I don’t believe you can ‘bottle’.
When we made the strategic decision to switch to becoming a lender, we knew where we were going and how we hoped to get there (with contingencies), confident in our culture and people. £1Bn is a key milestone, and now we move onto the next one because we can”.
