Hampshire Trust Bank has promoted Athens Piponides to lending manager in its development finance team following an internal recruitment process.
Piponides (pictured) took up the position on 1 September after more than two years as a relationship manager at HTB, which he joined in April 2024.
In his new role, he will have greater responsibility for development finance relationships across the Midlands, working with developers and brokers as schemes progress.
Before joining HTB, Piponides worked as an underwriter in specialist property finance and spent two years as a development finance loan manager at Crystal Specialist Finance.
He began his career as an assistant surveyor at CrowdProperty after graduating from Birmingham City University with a first-class degree in real estate.
Athens Piponides, lending manager for development finance at HTB, says: “I’m delighted to be stepping into the lending manager role, working across the Midlands region, and continuing to build my career in development finance at HTB.
“My time as a relationship manager has provided invaluable experience in working closely with customers, understanding their ambitions and identifying how we can best support their growth.
“I’m excited to take on this new challenge, building even stronger relationships with our customers, brokers and key stakeholders while continuing to deliver practical, solution-focused outcomes.
“I’m looking forward to playing an even greater role in helping customers through their development journeys, staying on the front foot and working closely with them through every phase of the transaction.”
Sarah Dix, senior lending director for development finance at HTB, adds: “We had an exceptional group of internal candidates for the role, which says a lot about the depth of talent we have within the team.
“Athens stood out because he combines relevant development finance experience with a strong understanding of HTB, our customers and the way we approach lending.
“The move into a lending manager role brings greater responsibility for the lending relationship and for the decisions that need to be made as a development progresses.
“Schemes rarely run entirely to plan, so knowing the detail, staying close to the developer and being able to apply good judgement when circumstances change is an important part of the job.
“We are focused on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent, and wherever possible we want people to be able to build their careers here.
“Athens has earned that opportunity and his promotion is a good example of the strength of the talent we are developing within the business.”
