O’Neill Patient Group (ONP) has appointed Jessica Szczelkun (pictured) as its first sales director.

Szczelkun joins from SortRefer where she held the position of sales and relationship director for four years.

Prior to this, Szczelkun practiced as a solicitor for ten years, before running her own mortgage brokerage.

Articus Finance makes new appointment

In her new role, Szczelkun intends to expand on the group’s relationships both with panel managers and their mortgage broker clients.

Andy Scaife, group chief executive of ONP, said: “Szczelkun’s experience and depth of knowledge of both the mortgage market and of the conveyancing process is unrivalled and we are very excited to have her on board.

“We believe that she can play a key role in helping us to achieve our growth plans, which includes becoming the number one conveyancer in the UK both in terms of size and quality of service.”

Szczelkun added: “The opportunity to join ONP was a really exciting one as I knew the growth curve ONP was on from dealing with them as a panel manager.

“Having worked as a solicitor, a mortgage broker and as a panel manager, I can see things from all sides.

“I recognise the huge amount of work that goes in from the conveyancing firm, the mortgage adviser and the panel managers and know too well the frustration when things do not go right or take too long.

“The conveyancing process in general is still a long drawn out process and it is a shared ambition with the board to improve this.”