Knights’ Victoria Mortimer: “It’s an exciting time for Knights in Leeds”

Victoria Mortimer is client services director for Knights’ office in Leeds. She leads a team of more than 150 professionals who are building great relationships and helping clients tap into opportunities across the north of England. 

Victoria, it’s been three years since Knights’ arrival in Leeds. How are things going? 

Things are going great, thanks. We have a thriving team in the iconic Majestic building in City Square – and we’re looking ahead to a year of growth. 

Over the last three years we’ve added new faces to our talented team, strengthening the service we offer and the reputation we have in Leeds and across Yorkshire. 

That’s underpinned by the emerging talent in our team – and we proudly promoted 11 people this year across our Yorkshire offices. 

Of course I’d say this, but it’s a really exciting time to be at Knights. 

We’re one of the fastest-growing professional services businesses in the country and we’ve just arrived in Carlisle, Lancaster and Newcastle upon Tyne – taking us to 1,500 professionals supporting clients from 25 offices nationwide. 

That will offer even more opportunities for our colleagues and clients in Yorkshire. 

A lot has happened in the last three years – not least a global pandemic – what are the positives to come out of it?

A collaborative culture is at the heart of Knights’ success. We’re one team – and the pandemic really underscored that. I’ve found it both refreshing and empowering. 

Our focus is on the needs of people. Whether they work at Knights, work with us, or work alongside us as a client. 

For example, Integrar, our refinancing business, also has a huge presence in our Leeds office. 

It’s one of only a handful of businesses offering refinancing products for banks and building societies. Initially, Integrar was based down the road. Since bringing Integrar into the Majestic, we’ve seen a real positive difference to unite everyone as one team. 

It’s well-documented that we don’t have targets for our teams. That’s because targets make it difficult to do the right thing for people and it encourages people to work in silos. 

At Knights we’ll assemble the right expertise from across the business to meet your needs. That’s a way of working that has gone from strength to strength since we arrived in Leeds.

In a tricky economic climate, what’s the outlook for your team in Leeds?

From a Knights perspective, we’re in a really good position. We expect that our revenue and profit will be up on last year, we’re growing in all of our 25 office locations, and we’re hiring talent across the country.

We’re able to do that because we work with a broad range of brilliant clients in key regional markets across the country. Not least here in Leeds. 

Of course, the economic outlook is little tricky at the moment, but we’re able to offer clients access to a massive range of expertise to help businesses.

What’s your elevator pitch to someone who wants to work with – or for – Knights? 

We’re all about people. We know the importance of strong relationships. 

If you want a trusted advisor who’s not tied down by arbitrary targets – or you want to be one! – then Knights is the perfect fit for you. 

We’re also growing right across the country. As I said, it’s really exciting time to be at Knights. 

Our team work with clients with regional, national and international platforms – so the work we do is incredibly varied. 

It also means that our team are incredibly knowledgeable, no matter the challenge. That provides a great learning opportunity for those just starting out at Knights. 

Our doors are very much open and there are really exciting times ahead as we gear up for growth.