Bridging Finance Solutions

BFS has recruited Lee Gilmore as head of business development.

A former relationship director at HSBC, Lee has been working with BFS for several years in a consultant capacity, delivering coaching and mentoring while supporting the team in making informed investment decisions within the business, including development and growth.

In his new position, he will lead the regional teams from the BFS head office in Wirral, Merseyside, and is looking to make a series of hires in the coming 12 months.

“I’ve worked with BFS for a number of years and continue to be impressed by their refreshing and unique approach in a busy and challenging market,” Lee said.

“BFS has undoubtedly found its niche position within the short-term finance sector and it is these foundations that we’ll continue to build upon. 

“We have a strong business development team already in place but will need to further strengthen resources if we are to grow in line with our strategy.

“Looking ahead, we look forward to further building our network, forging partnerships with more brokers, developers, contractors, businesses and individuals who can benefit from our services, in what can only be described as a booming period for the property industry.”

Steve Barber, managing director at BFS, added: “This was a natural step for us and the appointment of Lee in this senior role is an incredibly positive and exciting move. 

“He has some fantastic ideas around how we can begin to integrate his existing work within the business development, operational and finance areas of the business to improve and enhance wider performance.

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“His existing knowledge of BFS will undoubtedly be a huge asset and will allow us to make the shift in role a seamless one.”

Tuscan Capital

Tuscan Capital has appointed Maria Curatolo as an underwriter.

Maria started her career in the financial services sector at Abbey National Building Society, from where she progressed in underwriting-focused roles with a variety of lenders, including Santander, Barclays Wealth International, Omni Capital, Oblix Capital and, most recently, Lendhub.

In her new role, she will be based in Tuscan Capital’s central London head office and will report to the lender’s head of credit and risk, Dena Thompson.

Colin Sanders, CEO at Tuscan Capital, said: “Following our recent physical expansion into the Midlands and North of England, we decided the time was right to add extra heft to our all-important credit and risk team. 

“Never more than now, brokers are relying on their lender partners to deliver speedy but consistently pragmatic and reliable lending decisions. 

“We have always considered this to be one of our strongest points, hence this new investment in experienced personnel.

“Maria has a superb track record in understanding and evaluating bridging and development funding cases.”

This follows the appointment of Carl Graham as regional director for Tuscan’s second regional office in Manchester.