Meet Jack, a Senior Business Development Manager
Meet Jack, a Senior Business Development Manager at Acre.
What were you doing before joining Acre?
Before joining Acre, I spent my career working across the financial advice technology space, supporting advisers in both wealth and mortgage and protection.
I’ve held a range of commercial roles across providers including Iress, Twenty7tec and Howden, working with everything from established advice firms and networks through to early-stage technology businesses. That’s given me a broad view of how different parts of the market operate, from wealth through to mortgages, and where technology can genuinely add value.
Across those roles, I’ve been closely involved in taking platforms to market, building strategic partnerships and running sales processes. A consistent theme has been working directly with advisers to understand how they operate, where inefficiencies sit, and how better use of technology can simplify workflows and drive better outcomes.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of the role is seeing how brokers genuinely react when they realise how much Acre brings together. For many firms, key parts of the process are still fragmented or not working as effectively as they could be, so that moment where it clicks tends to stand out.
Being able to show how Acre not only saves time but also improves the overall client experience, from core functionality through to brand engagement, is something I find particularly rewarding. It often shifts how firms think about their own processes and what good can actually look like.
It’s enjoyable helping advisers recognise that there is a more streamlined and joined-up way of working.
What does your typical day to day look like at Acre?
Day to day is varied, but it’s largely centred around speaking with prospective customers, running demos and progressing opportunities.
A lot of time is spent understanding how firms currently operate, where their processes are falling short, and how Acre can bring more structure and consistency to the way they work. That usually involves walking through the platform in detail and showing how different parts of the journey connect.
Alongside that, there’s regular collaboration internally, sharing feedback from the market and helping refine how we position Acre based on what we’re seeing day to day.
When I’m in the office, that also seems to involve doing my part in keeping the kitchen stocked by working through a steady supply of Oreos and chocolate fingers.
What attracted you to join Acre?
Acre had a strong reputation in the mortgage and protection market before I joined, particularly for the clarity of its proposition. There’s a very clear mission around what the platform is trying to achieve, without distractions, and that’s something that genuinely comes through when you speak to the team.
Having spent a number of years in the space, including selling against Acre, my view wasn’t always as clear cut. But from what I saw of the platform and the feedback coming back from the market, it was clear Acre was building something ahead of the curve, and that’s only become more evident since joining.
Another key factor was the pace of development, particularly the focus on delivering meaningful improvements rather than incremental changes. That consistency in how the platform evolves, combined with the direction of the business, made it a straightforward decision to join.
What are you most excited by in the year ahead?
I’m most excited by the opportunity to build on the momentum that’s already there in the mortgage and protection market. There’s a clear appetite from firms to move away from fragmented systems and towards something more joined up, and Acre is well positioned to support that shift.
As the platform evolves, it opens up more opportunities for firms to enhance how they operate, both in terms of day-to-day productivity and the overall client experience.
Alongside that, it’s about how we continue to expand commercially, building the right partnerships and extending our reach while maintaining a strong experience for customers.
What feature do customers love the most during demos?
The first thing customers usually comment on is how intuitive the system feels. The UI and overall user experience tend to stand out straight away, particularly for firms that are used to working across multiple disconnected systems.
The Client Portal also consistently gets a strong reaction. It gives clients a simple, structured way to share information and documents, which removes a lot of friction from the process and improves the overall experience.
There’s also a lot of interest in how Acre supports additional revenue opportunities, particularly through areas like general insurance and other cross-sell journeys, all within the same platform.
From my perspective, the real strength is how everything connects, as a joined-up system in one place.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
For my sins, I’m an avid follower of Ipswich Town, which tends to take up most weekends across the season!
I also keep a close eye on my first club, West Bromwich Albion, a family-prescribed allegiance that’s stuck over the years, so football features pretty heavily outside of work.
Outside of that, I enjoy the indie music scene and try to get to gigs when I can, although these days it’s usually from a slightly safer distance from the stage as age starts to catch up.
I also got married last year and am expecting my first child this year, so all of the above is about to take second place to nappies and Nerf guns, which is very exciting!
If you are interested in joining our Business Development Team, visit our careers page to find out more.