John Yerou

John Yerou (born June 23, 1964, John George Yerou) is a British executive and serial entrepreneur, who has founded a number of financial services companies. John Yerou is best known for founding Mortgage Quest, an unbiased and wholly independent financial service company. During his career, he has held the positions of director, vice director and managing director for a variety of tech-led companies. He is considered a true pioneer of independent financial services in the UK.
Born and raised in London, England, John Yerou founded Mortgage Quest Ltd. in 2004. A family-owned, independent financial company, it continues to offer traditional and bespoke mortgage brokerage and related services. It stands as one of the most prominent independent financial institutions in England. Mortgage Quest is the parent company of Freelancer Financials, Contractor Mortgages, C&F Mortgages and Self-Employed Mortgages.
== Early life and education ==
John Yerou was born in London, England, on June 23, 1964. He is the son of George Yerou and Androulla Yerou. His ancestry includes Greek and Cypriot. Yerou enrolled in the William Gladstone High School and, after completing schooling, attended Willesden College of Technology to complete a Higher National Diploma in electrical and electronic engineering. In 1985, Yerou received sponsorship from Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd. for further education, joining the University of Salford to complete his BSc honors degree in electrical and electronic engineering.
== Career ==
John Yerou started his career in 1983 with STC plc, a telecommunication equipment manufacturer, after winning an engineering apprenticeship with the company. In 1985, STC sponsored Yerou to complete a three-year degree in Electrical Electronic Engineering from Salford University. In 1988, John Yerou started management training in the Communications Terminals Division of the company and, a year later, joined the sales team as their Account Manager. He remained with STC until September 1990, then joined SDX Business Systems plc as their Major Account Manager.  He advanced to sales and marketing manager at Data & Control Equipment Ltd, Aylesbury in Oct 1991, where he was responsible for their UK and international sales.
In September 1995, he was appointed as Vice President of Asia Pacific Region for Telular Corporation, a subsidiary of Motorola focused on wireless technology. John Yerou remained with the company for nearly 4 years until joining Spanish multinational technology company, Amper S.A.. At Amper, he formed strategic alliances and partnerships in South East Asia to establish the company's technology and solutions in the market. After Amper, he joined Argus Systems Group as their UK’s Vice President of sales. In September 2001, he was appointed as Group Sales Director of International Presence Ltd, responsible for managing the company’s presence and sales in both the United Kingdom and United States. 
In 2004, John Yerou began his entrepreneurial career and founded Freelancer Financials, a financial advisory company that specialists in financial services for contractors. Soon, Yerou reorganized its various interests as a conglomerate called Mortgage Quest Ltd. was introduced and all of his companies continued to be the umbrella company for Mortgage Quest Ltd.’s interests.
== Mortgage Quest Ltd ==
In 2004, John Yerou, with his wife Samantha Yerou, founded a general mortgage brokerage firm in London. The company was soon recognized as a mortgage specialist in the UK, helping thousands of independent self-employed professionals, freelancers and contractors to buy a home or an investment property. To offer an all-inclusive specialized service in mortgage and finance, he established the Freelancer Financials, Contractor Mortgages, C&F Mortgages, and Self-Employed Mortgages brands.
== Awards and recognition ==
From 2014, Freelance Financials won the best mortgage broker award from the Mortgage Intelligence Awards for five years in a row. In 2019, under John Yerou’s leadership, the Contracting Awards shortlisted Freelancer Financials in the best contractor mortgage provider or broker category. The category celebrates the best service providers in contractor mortgage provision in the UK.
== Personal life ==
John Yerou married Samantha Yerou on May 14, 1994. The couple has two sons. Yerou is very active in the Greek Cypriot Community and regularly visits friends, family and relatives.
== References ==
== External links ==
* Official website
* Freelancer Financials
* Contractor Mortgages
* Contractor Mortgages for UK Contractors & Freelancers
* Self Employed Mortgages
* John George Yerou on Facebook
* John George Yerou on Twitter
* John George Yerou on Linkedin
Category:British businesspeople
Category:British chief executives
Category:British Entrepreneur
Category:Financial services companies
Category:Lists of financial services companies