Black History Month: True community is not just celebrating success, but coming together in difficult times – Brown

Meet Nina Brown, protection adviser at Pam Brown Mortgages, who wants to make financial services accessible, while advocating for and raising awareness of people living with invisible illnesses through her own experience.

What is your name and role? 

My name is Nina Brown, and I’m a protection adviser at Pam Brown Mortgages, a family-run mortgage and insurance business. My role is centred around helping people protect themselves, their families and their financial futures. 

How long have you been in this role? 

I’ve worked in financial services for around six years, having joined Pam Brown Mortgages in 2020. 

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How long have you worked in financial services and what was your first job? 

I’ve been in financial services since 2020 and have always been a protection adviser since the beginning. Before that, I studied education studies at Oxford Brookes and then went on to complete my master’s degree in real estate development at Westminster University.

What made you consider the sector as a career? 

Being part of a family business meant I could see the value of mortgage and protection advice and the difference it makes to families. I was drawn to the opportunity to help people at some of the most important and vulnerable moments in their lives. My mum installed into me very early how important insurances were and what impact they can have on someone’s life. Without my mum being in this sector, I would never have known about this opportunity or about how fantastic this sector can be. 

My own experiences have also shaped my perspective. Going through significant health challenges has reinforced just how important protection can be. It’s one thing to talk about the value of insurance, but experiencing how important financial protection can be during a difficult period gives you a very different appreciation of it. It has made me even more passionate about the work I do and the people we help. 

How do you try to do good for your community through your work? And what about in your personal life? 

Through my work, I want to make financial advice accessible, approachable and inclusive. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to understand their options and make informed decisions about their future, regardless of their background or circumstances. However, this is not the case, and I do believe there is such a taboo around insurance and how it isn’t necessarily there to help people – or even worse, people have no idea what is accessible to them.

I’m particularly passionate about supporting people living with invisible illnesses and long-term health conditions, who can sometimes face additional challenges when seeking mortgage and protection advice. I want people to know that their circumstances should not automatically mean they feel excluded from the conversation. Having the right adviser who understands their situation can make a real difference. That is why I am so passionate about talking about my own personal experiences – whether that is through sitting on panels or discussing it online. I have been very open with my challenges, which include discussing women’s health, my ectopic pregnancy, my pituitary tumour or my fertility struggles.

Outside of work, charity fundraising and raising awareness are hugely important to me and my family. We have organised fundraising events and challenges, including climbing Ben Nevis and completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, to support charities connected to Crohn’s disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and pituitary tumours. 

I also believe in using my voice to encourage conversations that people might otherwise find difficult. Sharing personal experiences of health challenges and loss has helped me connect with others and, I hope, made it easier for people to speak openly about their own experiences. 

What does community mean to you, both within and outside of the Black community? 

To me, community is about belonging, support and creating opportunities for people to thrive. It is about recognising that we are stronger when we support one another, share our experiences and make space for voices that may not always be heard – I think it is very difficult to believe in yourself when you haven’t seen someone else who looks like you do it before you. Representation matters because seeing someone who looks like you succeeding in an industry can help you believe that those opportunities are possible for you, too. 

For me, true community is not just about celebrating success; it is also about recognising the rubbish, recognising the difficult and almost impossible times and coming together and showing up when things become difficult. 

Who inspires you on a personal and professional level? 

My mum is a huge inspiration to me, both personally and professionally. Watching what she has built in the mortgage industry, the people she has helped and the way she continues to give back has shown me that success is about much more than your job title or business achievements. It is about the difference you make to other people. To have created a very successful business, all while being a mum to my brother and me, is truly a work of art, and once I have my own family, I will continue to look up to her – and if I become even half the mum she has been, I shall be happy.

How do you hope to inspire others? 

I hope to inspire others by showing that you can build a successful career while staying true to who you are and what matters to you. You do not have to fit a particular mould to succeed, and your experiences outside of work can be just as important in shaping the professional you become. 

I also hope to inspire people to use their voices. Whether that means speaking about diversity, sharing a personal health experience, fundraising for a cause or simply helping someone who needs advice, we can all make a difference in our own way. 

Ultimately, I want to be remembered not just for what I achieve professionally, but for how I make people feel, the doors I help open and the positive impact I have on the people around me. If sharing my story encourages even one person to feel less alone, pursue an opportunity they thought was out of reach or recognise the importance of protecting their family, then I will feel that I have made a difference.