"Financial resilience has never been more important, particularly in today’s economic climate."
- Laura Gauden - Shepherds Friendly
Manchester-based mutual society Shepherds Friendly has appointed Laura Gauden (pictured above) to the position of head of sales.
Laura joins the mutual, which is celebrating its bicentennial in 2026, with over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry across mortgage and insurance intermediary distribution, during which she has specialised in customer experience, multi-channel customer journeys and people development.
Before joining Shepherds Friendly, Laura served as national sales manager at Newcastle Building Society, where she supported the implementation of its mortgage intermediary business strategy and managed the field and telephony business development team. She has also held roles at the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Paymentshield, CHL Mortgages, Virgin Money and Northern Rock.
In her new role, Laura will oversee the sales team, aiming to deliver sales leadership, drive revenue growth and support the development of the friendly society’s proposition.
Shepherds Friendly says that Laura’s experience with mortgage clubs and networks will be particularly useful as it seeks to grow its intermediary footprint, having recently announced a new partnership with Primis.
The friendly society has also entered into distribution agreements with SimplyBiz, Next Intelligence, Mortgage Intelligence, Paradigm and The Money Group in recent years.
Laura joins the team following the return of former head of sales, Laura Hassall, to the organisation in the new role of head of strategic partnerships, where she will manage service providers and network relationships.
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"I've been incredibly impressed by the culture at Shepherds Friendly, and I'm excited to lead the sales team as we focus on growth, innovation, and maintaining our commitment to putting members first," Laura Gauden said.
"Financial resilience has never been more important, particularly in today’s economic climate," Laura continued. "The need for holistic advice and comprehensive protection is greater than ever, and with a significant protection gap still evident across the UK. It’s a privilege to be part of a member-focused organisation dedicated to helping more people build long-term financial security."
Phil Nash, chief sales officer at Shepherds Friendly, added: "Laura comes to Shepherds Friendly with a vast amount of mortgage and insurance market experience, and we’re incredibly happy to welcome her into the team at this exciting time of growth."
