Close Brothers

Close Brothers has appointed Lee Masters as head of sales for London and the South and Bhavesh Patel as sales director.

The two will work across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, transport, recruitment, print, wholesale and distribution.

Lee will particularly focus on invoice finance and asset-based lending, including cashflow loans.

Before joining Close Brothers, Lee previously worked at Bank of America, where he held senior credit and organisation roles, while Bhavesh worked at Deloitte for over seven years in various positions.

George May, managing director for London and the South at Close Brothers, said: ”As we continue to expand our product range, Lee and Bhavesh’s complementary experience will ensure that we support invoice finance and asset-based lending customers through all parts of the credit cycle.

“In the last twelve months, our products have supported a range of transactions, including MBOs, high growth, turnarounds and restructuring. 

“Close Brothers has a solid record over economic cycles, with strong capital and high profitability. 

“This financial position allows us to invest in and support our new and existing customers while taking a long-term view on how we manage relationships and business.” 

Assetz Capital

Assetz Capital has appointed Mehwish Mirza as senior relationship manager.

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Mehwish began her career with a seven-year tenure at Al Rayan Bank, where she rose to business development manager.

Following this, she worked for a variety of lenders, including Together, Gatehouse Bank and, most recently, Glenhawk.

“It’s a great time to be joining Assetz Capital as we grow our bridging offering,” said Mehwish.

“I have been impressed by the team’s ambition, and I look forward to delivering our real-world bridging solutions to clients.”

This follows the appointment of Laleta Buctkuar and the promotion of Colin Mottram as relationship directors.

In July, Assetz Capital was accredited as a lender under the government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) following its successful distribution of over £350m through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). 

The specialist lender has lent nearly £1.5bn of retail and institutional funds to UK businesses to date.

Mark Standley, national commercial director at Assetz Capital, commented: “As a well-established market-leader and go-to lender for property development and commercial mortgages, we are focused on building the same high standards of reputation and delivery in the short-term finance world. 

“The core ingredient will always be having the very best people, so I am delighted to welcome Mehwish to Assetz Capital. 

“Mehwish has extensive experience in the bridging and business development space, and she has already progressed a number of quality opportunities for us.”