Signature Property Finance has appointed Ian Miller-Hawes as sales director as the specialist short-term lender prepares to rebuild its national sales team.
Miller-Hawes (pictured) joins from Aspen Bridging, where he was sales director, having previously led the lender’s sales team.
During his time at Aspen, he contributed to the expansion of its loan book and the development of its ground-up development finance and bridge-to-let products.
His appointment marks the first stage of a recruitment programme at Signature, with further sales appointments planned for the new year.
The lender intends to establish a network of regionally based specialists who can work directly with brokers and property developers, including conducting site visits and meeting borrowers in person.
Miller-Hawes, who is CeMAP-qualified and has more than a decade of experience in property finance, has also held senior sales positions at Castle Trust and Fleet Mortgages.
FOCUS ON REGIONAL BROKER RELATIONSHIPS
Signature said the expansion would support its wider growth strategy, with an emphasis on giving lending teams a detailed understanding of individual developments and borrowers’ requirements.
Tony Gilbertson, chief executive of Signature Property Finance, says: “Ian has a proven record of building strong broker relationships and developing a team around him that delivers the certainty of funding brokers and developers need to make informed decisions.
“Ian shares our belief that property finance works best face to face. I’ve been a property developer, so I know how much difference it makes to deal with a lender who has walked the site and understands the outcome you’re trying to achieve with a project.
“When everything runs smoothly, lending is easy. But when a project hits problems, we would rather work with the developer to find a fair solution than reach for the keys and Ian is the right person to help us take that approach into more parts of the country.”
Miller-Hawes will work with Signature’s senior management team to develop the lender’s sales strategy and oversee the recruitment of additional regional representatives.
He adds: “What drew me to Signature is that it still lends the way specialist lending should work. Decisions are made by people who know the deal, the legal team is in-house, and the leadership understands development from the inside.
“I know brokers want a lender who answers the phone, turns up and gives a straight answer quickly, whilst lending on the terms agreed at the outset. Building a team that does exactly that, across more of the country, is what I’m here to do.”
