Cherry highlights strong adviser engagement in Santander’s Provider Forum

18 February 2025

The Cherry Financial Services Forum is highlighting the positive impact of Santander’s engagement with advisers through its Provider Forum.

The initiative, designed to foster open dialogue and collaboration between Santander and advisers, has already attracted 7,346 views, 137 replies, and 63 likes since January, demonstrating its growing influence.

By utilising Santander’s Provider Forum on Cherry, rather than adhering to the traditional ‘us vs. them’ dynamic between lenders and advisers, Santander’s National Key Account Manager, Aimie-Jo Shutt, has successfully repositioned the relationship as a collaborative effort. Advisers and Santander’s management are working together to identify solutions, moving beyond past frustrations to drive meaningful change.

The forum has provided advisers with the opportunity to voice concerns, highlight challenges, and offer direct feedback to Santander in real time. Key issues raised include underwriting, product transfer processes, and fees, with advisers emphasising the need for greater consistency and clarity in lending standards and service expectations. Last week, Santander published three new broker pledges, addressing these common points of frustration and outlining its commitment to working more closely than ever with intermediary partners in 2025.

In response, Aimie-Jo has assured advisers that their concerns are being actively addressed at the highest levels within Santander, reinforcing the bank’s dedication to strengthening relationships with advisers.

Donna Hopton, Director at Cherry, commented:

“The engagement we’ve seen in the Santander Provider Forum underscores how vital it is for providers and advisers to use these platforms together to enable meaningful change. Advisers want to be heard, and having direct, transparent conversations with lenders and other providers—whether financial, insurance, tech, or support services—is an important step in gaining or rebuilding trust and achieving real progress.

“What Cherry offers is unique. Unlike the often unruly world of social media, Cherry provides a sensible and ethical approach that industry players genuinely appreciate.

“The success of Santander’s approach, along with that of other providers using the Provider Forums, demonstrates the real value of collaborative dialogue. As more lenders and providers adopt this valuable and unique medium, we expect to see even greater success.”

Aimie-Jo Shutt, National Key Account Manager at Santander, added:

“I’ve had a fantastic experience with Cherry! The team are knowledgeable, dedicated, and so helpful. As a lender, all feedback—good, bad, and ugly—is invaluable. Our recent broker commitments have been developed by listening and acting on feedback, and we look forward to continually reviewing our proposition in the best way possible for those who matter most—our brokers.”

For more information, visit: cherryplc.co.uk