DIFF podcast: From one-off event to industry movement: The BMPAN story

Host Jemel Edwards, senior sales executive at Mortgage Solutions, was joined by Atlyn Forde and Aleka Gutzmore, two of the three co-founders of the BMPAN, which they created in 2024 alongside Jeffrey Krampah-Williams.

Before the BMPAN came to be, Forde was part of a small group of Black mortgage professionals that had connected on WhatsApp, but “we knew there were more of us, and every now and again, we’d see people out when we were at events, but we thought that there wasn’t really a safe space for us… to connect properly”.

She continued: “We really wanted to create a space where we could all come together and build that kind of camaraderie, that support for each other.”

In the lead-up to Black History Month, a potential event was being discussed, but “nothing was actually happening”, so Forde and Krampah-Williams decided to organise something themselves, bringing on Gutzmore as “someone else who’s got some creative spark”.

Forde explained that she, Gutzmore and Krampah-Williams had different experiences of the mortgage industry, with Gutzmore having worked in the broker space for 20 years, Krampah-Williams being based at a lender but on the commercial side, and she herself having experience in marketing and inclusion at a lender.

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Gutzmore noted that the event was supposed to be a one-off and that the theme for Black History Month that year was ‘Reclaiming the Narrative’, “so it was perfect to start with that”.

The BMPAN’s mission

Gutzmore said the BMPAN has organised 6-7 events so far, all “focused around career development, collaboration, enhancements”, with a focus on “the people – who are we bringing along, who’s caring about us?”.

Forde added: “We’re in this industry, we’re amazingly talented professionals, and how can we ensure that each one of us can thrive and that we’re not being impacted by barriers that shouldn’t need to be there?”

She noted that “employers in the industry also have a role to play and… across the industry, we want to influence that”. The BMPAN can “share best practice with regards to how you can break down those barriers that we’re facing”, as well as the importance of creating awareness in the first place, as many allies may not be aware of some of those barriers.

Forde continued: “The ultimate goal and mission is to really look at the leadership of the industry, because the leaders are the ones that… influence what happens – not just for us, but for our customers.

“Ultimately, for us, we want to ensure that not only are we having… a good experience in the financial services and mortgage industry, but our customers, no matter who you are, what your background [is], you will also being treated equitably and that the products are being developed with you in mind.

“It’s really about looking at… the make-up of leadership – like senior leaders, directors, board – and ensuring that we have a seat at that table, that our voice is heard and that we can influence the agenda.”

Forde noted that the industry has seen significant change and improvement, “but where you see the least change is in those more senior leadership positions”, identifying this as one of the BMPAN’s “core missions”.

She said upcoming announcements from the BMPAN will “really help the organisations, the lenders, the brokerages, the networks to really understand what they can do practically”.

The BMPAN’s achievements so far

When asked what impact or achievement they were most proud of, Gutzmore highlighted the BMPAN’s consistency, saying: “We set out a mission, a vision and we’ve strategically worked, the three of us, to push forward and actually see change.

“From the first event … the main thing we’ve had is… speakers from inside the community of the mortgage professionals, whether they be Black professionals or some of the allies and leaders from the networks, vendors and clubs that we invite.”

She continued: “It’s not just about what we’ve achieved as a network that makes us proud – it’s actually looking to the community and… seeing touchpoints of where people have come back and said: ‘You know what, I was at a low point, that really picked me up.’”

She added that the BMPAN’s events are “challenging people to do more and be the best that they can be”.

Forde echoed Gutzmore’s sentiments about taking pride in the BMPAN’s positive impact, as “you don’t always truly know until someone comes back and tells you that”.

Gutzmore added that the events have “had a lot of young people attend and we’ve included them by joining up with charities”, which she said has helped to address the industry’s “ageing advice trend”. She noted the opportunities for mentorship, work experience and the development of soft skills like networking, as well as “really homing in on Black youth” with the pathway to financial services.

She continued: “They might not end up in the mortgage industry, but if we can impact wider and build an ecosystem, it can only be great.”

The importance of knowledge sharing

Forde noted that “our community is also inclusive of the allies” and outlined how “demystifying what they thought a Black event might look like” is “extremely valuable”. She noted some people may think “we’re just talking about Black issues,” which she said are touched upon, “but the majority of it is… knowledge sharing, upskilling… hearing from amazingly talented people sharing their knowledge in the industry.”

She said creating awareness among allies was key, which Gutzmore agreed with, saying that what the group leads with is “industry content”.

Gutzmore noted that for leaders, “if you don’t have that exposure to mindsets, to cultures, to understanding where people are from, that is going to influence what you do in your company as well… so it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Improved confidence

Edwards noted that through his own experience of attending BMPAN events, he feels “a lot more confident” when operating within the industry.

Gutzmore said that because the BMPAN’s events have meant networking with over 100 people, she knows more people in the industry now, so when attending other events, “your anxiety is down and you’re able to communicate and collaborate and get the best out of those events”.

She added that speakers on BMPAN panels have gone on to be invited onto other panels “because people have been able to see them and say: ‘Oh, what they said was actually valuable, it will help over here as well’, so that has given other people opportunities who wouldn’t normally have been seen.”

Forde mentioned the example of Rueben, a university student who attended the first event and asked people to review his CV. As a result, he was able to get a work experience placement and later attended another BMPAN event as a speaker, outlining why he’d like to get into the industry. Gutzmore outlined that the experience and resultant confidence and exposure for Rueben were a good example of what the network can foster.

The BMPAN community

Forde mentioned the strength of the BMPAN community, highlighting the work the network has done around encouraging its members to nominate themselves for awards: “I’d love to think that BMPAN and the community could help and support the amazing talent that we have in our community to be able to be recognised across the industry.”

Edwards agreed, saying “self-promotion is so important in our industry”.

Gutzmore added that the industry “is very open and very willing to share and exchange knowledge and tools and tips. What we’ve found is offline relationships are being formed, people are buddying up, they’re recommending each other”.

As for the future of the BMPAN, Forde said the network is looking to develop a wider team of support and build out its advisory panel.

Gutzmore said that “in order to get the positive disruption, we have to question the status quo”. She said rather than simply identifying things that are wrong or could improve, it is more geared towards an approach of “this is what we’ve seen, this is the strategy and this is how you can improve it to disrupt the industry throughout, but with positive change.”

Listen to the full podcast in the video below, hosted by Jemel Edwards, senior sales executive at Mortgage Solutions, with guests Atlyn Forde and Aleka Gutzmore, two of the three co-founders of the BMPAN.