Sancus strengthens credit and lending team with two appointments and a promotion

The first new appointment sees Clair Dempsie (pictured above, left) join the firm in the newly created role of credit operations manager.

She will address deal execution, along with focusing on strengthening credit and operational frameworks.

Clair joins from HTB, where she developed expertise across credit, underwriting and operational risk.

 “Sancus is at an exciting stage of its growth, and the opportunity to help strengthen credit and operational processes was a key driver for me,” Clair said.

“With over 18 years’ experience in real estate finance and deal execution, I’m focused on delivering complex transactions efficiently and Sancus’s commitment to transparent finance strongly aligns with my own values.”

The second new hire, Harry Hutton (pictured above, right),  joins Sancus UK’s Manchester head office as lending manager, where he will guide loan transactions from origination through to completion.

Harry brings to the role a background in property finance, with a career spent working across both developer and institutional lending environments.

Prior to joining Sancus, he held roles at Salboy and NatWest Group.

 “Sancus stood out to me as an ambitious and fast-growing business, with a strong culture and a clear vision for the future,” Harry said. “The opportunity to join an established and expanding team, based in the heart of Manchester city centre, was incredibly appealing.”

Alongside the new appointments, Lexie Phillips, who has been at Sancus since May 2024, has been promoted to credit and risk operations director.

In her new role, Lexie will help shape and develop processes as part of the firm’s growth strategy.

 “The addition of Clair and Harry to the team, significantly enhances our capability, allowing us to deliver at pace, while maintaining standards and high-quality outcomes for our clients,” Lexie said.

According to Andrew Charnley, managing director of Sancus UK: “These appointments reflect our continued investment in our people as we scale the business.

Predicting that new lending at Sancus in 2025 could be “in excess of £150m,” and with a workforce that has increased by 40% over the last 12 months, “it’s critical we have the right structure and expertise in place,” Andrew said.