The pair have been appointed as fund managers and have a combined 26 years of experience working in the real estate finance sector.
  

James Nunn

Nick Westoby

Nick and James will be responsible for supporting the growth of Octopus Property’s commercial lending portfolio and managing both institutional and retail capital on behalf of Octopus Group.

The appointments follow the deployment of Octopus’ first institutionally raised commercial real estate debt fund over the last three years.

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“I strongly believe in building a team which has direct experience as investors and developers, rather than pure banking,” said Ludo Mackenzie, head of commercial property at Octopus Property (pictured top). 

“We want people who genuinely understand real estate and, as a consequence, can make more informed decisions. 

“In this way, we are a business that can look at every deal on its merits and empathise with our clients.”

Nick joins from Hatfield Philips International, where he was senior vice-president and responsible for managing a £650m loan book and underwriting £5.5bn of pan-European portfolios. 

James was previously an associate at D2 Private, where he looked after the investment management and business development of a £300m pan-European property investment fund.

Mario Berti, CEO of Octopus Property, added: “This is an exciting time for the company, and with the support of the wider Octopus Group, we look forward to further cementing our position as a market leader in the provision of specialist finance.”