Secure Trust Bank’s head of real estate finance Andy Thomson has joined Bank of London and the Middle East as head of real estate.
Thomson’s role covers real estate finance, focusing on development and investment debt origination for commercial and residential real estate.
His remit also includes real estate investment, in which real estate assets in the UK are bought and the equity sold down to high-net-worth individuals, and providing high-value buy-to-let and holiday home mortgages.
Thomson has some 25 years of experience in the financial services sector, having worked across investment banking, corporate banking, real estate advisory and challenger bank businesses. He has held senior banking roles in origination, credit, restructuring, and portfolio management.
He will be joined by Anna Barratt and Tim Manley, who have both been appointed as associate directors within BLME’s real estate finance team.
Barratt was formerly part of Investec’s structured property finance team, while Manley joins the firm from ABC Bank.
BLME said it is seeking to build its position as “an expert in GCC investor sentiment and activity in the UK real estate market”.
Last month its team completed a £14m funding arrangement with Beech Holdings to support a 140-home residential development in Manchester.
Andrew Ball, chief executive of BLME, said: “With the UK an increasingly attractive proposition for overseas investors, developing our real estate offer is a core feature of our strategy for the bank. Investing heavily in building a strong team demonstrates our commitment to this.
“With over 55 years of combined experience between them, I know that Andy and the team will lead our real estate finance proposition from strength to strength.”
Thomson said: “I am passionate about building strong client relationships and delivering innovative, ethical and competitive debt solutions to both GCC and UK clients, and am looking forward to putting this into practice at BLME.
“Joining such an experienced and talented team means there is significant scope to build a sustained period of growth as a team.”
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