Hope Capital has seen a 40% increase in staff since the same period last year following a series of new hires and promotions.
The lender recently reported that the first half of 2023 was its most successful period to date and has now boosted its team to keep up with volume levels.
Kim Parker, who was previously a business development executive at Hope Capital, has been appointed as sales team manager where she will lead the sales department, while also implementing new strategies.
In addition, David Weir was promoted to business development manager (BDM) and will now oversee all bridging finance cases in the North and Scotland.
The lender has also further enhanced its internal sales team with the appointment of Jack Gardner as senior business development executive (BDE), Callum Goulden as BDE and Michael Trafford as BDE.
Various developments have also been made to Hope Capital’s underwriting department, including Jon Reed, who was promoted to senior credit manager, where he will manage the credit functions within the business to ensure all loans are correctly structured pre-completion and all risks are mitigated.
Cheryl Smyth joined the underwriting team, where she brings over 15 years’ experience in the finance industry and will be using her knowledge and skillset to manage bridging loan applications, ensuring the customer’s journey is smooth and the outcome is positive for them.
The lender’s portfolio management team was also strengthened with two new additions: Mayo-Yemi Onafowokan and Sarah Matthews.
Alongside changes to the sales, underwriting and portfolio management departments, Emily Crowe was promoted to senior marketing and PR executive.
Crowe will continue to manage all press relations and communications to stakeholders within the industry, while also supporting the strategic growth of the business.
Jonathan Sealey, CEO at Hope Capital, said: “First and foremost, congratulations to Kim, David, Jon and Emily for this much-deserved recognition.
“Hope Capital boasts one of the most talented and dedicated teams in the bridging finance sector.
“Every single one of these promotions is hugely deserved and reflects the dedication and skills each person has. I’m really proud of them all and I’m looking forward to seeing them flourish even more in the future.”
He added: “There’s a lot of movement at Hope Capital at the moment, which is really exciting. It’s great there are lots of developments across the board, and we’re extremely lucky to have such a rich pool of talent within the business.”
