Senior appointments bolster Octopus Property following record lending period

By Bridging Loan Directory 13th June 2018

Specialist property lender Octopus Property, part of the Octopus Group, announces three new appointments, as it continues to grow the loan book and transact record volumes. Strengthening the senior team, Darius Shekarrizi joins as Business Development Manager (BDM) for South East with Daniel Murray promoted to the role of Head of London Sales. In addition, Mert Zabci joins the commercial team as a Commercial Investment Manager.

With nearly 12 years’ experience in the banking and real estate sectors, Darius will be responsible for growing Octopus Property’s loan book in a key region, building on the company’s established footprint and strong intermediary network. He joins from bridging financier Oblix Capital, where he was BDM, London and the South East.

Daniel joined Octopus Property in March 2015 from International Financial Services Group, and was quickly promoted to BDM, East Region, where he was instrumental in growing the loan book across Essex, Suffolk and the major hubs north of London. In his new role, Daniel will manage the London UK BDMs, whilst overseeing the growth of Octopus Property’s already extensive network of brokers in the region.

Previously an originator in the Real Estate Finance Private Equity Team at RBS, Mert brings over eight years’ experience in the real estate and financial services sectors across restructuring and origination. A qualified chartered surveyor, Mert will support Ludo Mackenzie and Nick Westoby in growing the commercial loan book, following on from the last year’s launch of a new commercial term product.

Mario Berti, pictured, CEO of Octopus Property, commented:

“Attracting some of the industry’s brightest talent in Darius and Mert is a demonstration of both the recent success of the business but also the reputation that we are building in the market as the UK’s leading provider of alternative property finance, as we target lending £1bn over the next 12 months across our residential, commercial and development segments.

“Darius brings with him a great deal of business development experience, borne from his intimate broker relationships and deep knowledge of what is driving the property market in the South East. He joins our growing stable of dedicated regional BDMs, following the January appointment of Carl Graham in the North of England, as we focus on becoming the lender of choice across the whole of England, Scotland and Wales.

“On top of this, Dan’s promotion is well deserved and being able to promote highly talented individuals from within the business demonstrates our commitment to developing and retaining our staff, building depth of expertise at senior levels.”

Darius Shekarrizi added:

“The growing market opportunity for alternative lenders reflects both the continued resilience of the real estate sector but also the diminishing quality and breadth of product offering from more traditional lending sources. Octopus Property’s reputation as the lender of choice precedes them and I look forward to supporting the rapid growth of the business moving forward.”