The specialist property lender has promoted Daniel Murray (pictured above) to head of London sales, while also hiring Darius Shekarrizi as BDM for the South East and Mert Zabci as commercial investment manager. 

Daniel joined Octopus in March 2015 and was previously BDM for the east region, where he grew the lender’s loan book across Essex, Suffolk and major hubs north of London. 

In his new role, Daniel will manage the London BDMs, while also overseeing the growth of Octopus’s network of brokers in the region. 

Darius Shekarrizi

Darius joins from Oblix Capital and will be responsible for growing Octopus’s loan book in the South East and growing its relationship with intermediaries in the region.

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Mert Zabci

Meanwhile, Mert – previously an originator in the real estate finance private equity team at RBS – will support Ludo Mackenzie and Nick Westoby in growing the commercial loan book. 

Mario Berti, CEO at Octopus Property, said that attracting some of the industry’s brightest talent was a demonstration of both its recent success and the reputation it was building in the market.

“Darius brings with him a great deal of business development experience, borne from his intimate broker relationships and deep knowledge of what is driving the property market in the South East. 

“He joins our growing stable of dedicated regional BDMs, following the January appointment of Carl Graham in the North of England, as we focus on becoming the lender of choice across the whole of England, Scotland and Wales. 

“On top of this, Dan’s promotion is well deserved and being able to promote highly talented individuals from within the business demonstrates our commitment to developing and retaining our staff, building depth of expertise at senior levels.”