Hilco Real Estate Finance has named Jamie Jolly as managing director for the Midlands, North, and Scotland, bolstering its efforts to extend specialist lending services across the UK.
Jolly arrives at Hilco Real Estate Finance (HREF) from Hampshire Trust Bank in London, where he spearheaded the bridging division for nearly three years. His 24-year career in lending began in 2001 with Cheshire’s Blemain Group, later rebranded as Together, where he spent over 14 years and rose to head the commercial lending division. Now, he steps into a pivotal role at HREF as the lender seeks to broaden its footprint beyond London, its initial base for capturing market share in the specialist bridge lending sector.
Max Lewis, chief investment officer at HREF, said: “Jamie was the ideal partner to join us at a crucial time for HREF, as we expand our presence outside London, where we have been based to build our early market share in the specialist bridge lending market.” He added: “His entire career has been in bridging and specialist lending, and Jamie has led some of the highest growth businesses in the industry for the last decade, and we’re excited to have him join our growing team.”
Jolly expressed enthusiasm about his new position, noting the lender’s swift rise since its inception. “I’ve been watching HREF’s early progress with interest, and from a standing start two years ago they’ve already got great traction and the entrepreneurial team they have been building was the key to attracting me to join the business,” he said. “In a market where deals can be tough to get over the line with some lender models, it was also an appealing opportunity to join a lender that is incredibly well capitalised and commercially minded when it comes to reviewing lending opportunities.”
Launched in 2023, HREF offers bespoke, flexible property finance solutions across the UK and Ireland, catering to a range of real estate sectors with short-term bridging loans for growth, acquisitions, development exits, and refinancing. Loan sizes span from £2m to over £100m. The lender has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most active specialist bridge lenders, with ambitions to significantly expand its loan book in 2025. Recent transactions include loans ranging from £3m to £30m secured against developments and property portfolios in cities such as London, Newcastle, Leeds, and Waterford, Ireland.
Jolly will operate from a northern base, aligning with HREF’s strategy to deepen its regional presence. “HREF has a clear strategy to grow regionally in the coming years, and from my base in the North I am well located to allow us to further support this region,” he said. “The team have been doing an increasing number of deals with developers and brokers across the whole of the UK and Ireland, but we know there are a lot more opportunities out there in the areas that suit our direct, pragmatic approach to lending on deals that make sense, even if they involve unusual and what can be perceived as challenging deal structures and assets.”
A subsidiary of Hilco Global, a multinational financial services group managing over $5bn in assets, HREF operates nationwide with a team of seasoned finance professionals. The lender’s rapid growth underscores its focus on pragmatic, commercially driven lending tailored to complex property deals.
