Blend appoints head of portfolio management

By Bridging Loan Directory 29th November 2022

BLEND, the specialist development finance lender, has announced the appointment of veteran property and finance expert Claire McGirr as Head of Portfolio Management.

Claire’s arrival , who joins from Hampshire Trust Bank and will be based in the firm’s London head office, will help BLEND transform its portfolio management department by implementing a range of new systems and processes to enhance control and efficiency in order to boost the borrower journey.

In this position, Claire will work in close collaboration with the lending team headed by Managing Director David Alcock to drive strong performance across BLEND’s development finance portfolio.

Claire joins BLEND with more than 25 years of industry experience, predominantly in residential development, most recently as Head of Portfolio Management within the development finance team at Hampshire Trust Bank.

Prior to that, she spent seven years at Barclays where she worked as a case director within the business support and recoveries team. Before Barclays, Claire gained experience as part of the origination team in the specialist finance division at Heritable Bank which focused on residential development to SME developers and small construction companies.

David Alcock, MD at BLEND, commented:

“Having worked with Claire before, I know the depth and breadth of her knowledge and am very excited about all the new ideas and new approaches she will bring forward.

Understanding real estate development and seeing the opportunity through our borrower’s eyes is at the heart of the BLEND story, and Claire’s expertise in this area makes her a terrific addition to our team.

Furthermore, Claire’s mindset and values tightly aligns with ours at BLEND in that we want to do the deal.”

Claire McGirr, Head of Portfolio Management at BLEND, commented:

“I am very pleased to be joining BLEND at such an exciting time. The company has already gained recognition as one of the most solid, trustworthy, and through-the-cycle specialist development finance lenders.

Its business model, strategy, flexibility, and safe source of capital offer experience property developers flexible, secured funding.

I believe the company has a great future and I look forward to playing a strong role in its expansion and success”.