D'mitri Zaprzala joins Avamore Capital




D’mitri Zaprzala (featured in the video, above) has joined Avamore Capital to co-lead the company’s management team.

D’mitri joins the specialist lender from Octopus Real Estate, where he was head of residential.

At Avamore, he will be a member of the credit committee and joins the board of directors alongside Michael Dean, Zuhair Mirza, Philip Gould, and Alan Margolis.

He will take an overarching view of the company, focusing on executing core initiatives to drive business growth, while also providing guidance on commercial aspects. 

D’mitri’s background in deal origination will feed directly into the lender’s existing sales and marketing approach, with the objective to elevate and build upon its success to date. 

His eight years’ experience at Octopus Real Estate is expected to help Avamore accelerate its plans to become a top-tier lender. 

This will include expanding into more traditional areas of lending, consolidating its existing regional presence before moving to further boundaries, and building on product innovation. 

Collectively, D’mitri and Alan, with the support of Philip, will help lead the business through its next phase of growth, with plans to lend in excess of £500m annually. 

“I am delighted to be joining Avamore Capital,” said D’mitri. “Having observed the company over the last few years, I’m so excited to be able to join at such an exciting time for both them and the specialist lending industry.

“The past six years have been extremely successful for Avamore, and I hope that I am able to help make the next six even more so. 

“I have known Michael and Zuhair for some time, and it was an easy decision to come on board. 

“They have built an exceptional team who have an amazing reputation in the industry, and I cannot wait to work closely with them. 

“Similarly, I have had the pleasure of knowing Alan for many years, and he is someone I have always admired. 

“I know that, together with the talented Avamore team, we can achieve great things.”

In January, the business announced it had reached £250m of total lending, and has ambitions to exceed £100m of new lending this year.

In an exclusive filmed interview with B&C, D’mitri said that, in September, the finance provider had surpassed its lending figures for both 2020 and 2019, which he stated was a “good indication of the strength and the success” that it has already had.

“Next year and beyond, we want to grow significantly,” he shared.

“Realistically, we could be looking to increase anywhere between 50-60% next year — we’ve got a very ambitious team.”

Michael Dean, co-founder and director of Avamore, commented: “It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome D’mitri to Avamore’s board of directors — it really is a significant moment for us. 

“In footballing terms, it’s a bit like having signed Lionel Messi last month, and this month we’ve added Cristiano Ronaldo. 

“Zuhair and I have known him for a number of years and have seen the impact he has made in our space; the strength of his experience, depth of relationships, and knowledge will be hugely valuable in Avamore’s next phase of growth. 

“Given D’mitri’s background and longstanding presence in the bridging and development industry, both he and Alan will allow Avamore to benefit from the input of industry veterans.”

Zuhair Mirza, director at Avamore, added: “D’mitri brings tremendous industry knowledge, experience and relationships to the team while sharing the company’s values and ambitious plans for the future. 

“I'm very much looking forward to working with D’mitri alongside Alan and Phil as they lead the business through the next phase of Avamore’s journey."

Alan Margolis, director at Avamore, stated that this was “the perfect time” for the lender to scale up quickly and sustainably. 

“In my first month, I have seen the strength of the team that has led the business to where it is today, and there is a huge opportunity to combine mine and D’mitri’s experience with the talent in the team to ensure Avamore is a market leading lender.”

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