Octopus Real Estate appoints Head of Development Origination

By Bridging Loan Directory 8th November 2022

Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group and a leading UK specialist real estate lender and investor, has further strengthened its origination capability with the appointment of Nick White as Head of Development Origination.

Nick will take a leading role in Octopus Real Estate’s Residential Development Lending team, originating and delivering development lending across the residential spectrum.

In the newly created role, Nick will have additional responsibility for generating origination opportunities in two of Octopus’s core specialisms: care homes and retirement communities.

Nick joins from Fortwell Capital where, as Director, he was responsible for development lending across the residential book and the senior living portfolio.

During his time with the company, he grew Fortwell’s exposure to care homes and helped them to enter the retirement living space.

Nick personally executed and managed over £550m of lending in less than four years, significantly contributing to Fortwell’s overall lending over that period.

Andy Scott, Head of Residential Development, Octopus Real Estate, commented:

“To date the Development Lending team at Octopus has focused on supporting borrowers who operate in the residential and student accommodation sectors, but we’ve been working on expanding our product offering further into the development of other asset classes such as care homes and retirement living.

With his experience across these sectors, Nick is the perfect person to spearhead this expansion and help us take full advantage of the plentiful opportunities in the residential lending space.”

Benjamin Davis, CEO, Octopus Real Estate, said:

“Octopus Real Estate’s investment team already manages over £1.6 billion of investments, with a focus on care homes, retirement communities and affordable housing.

We’ve been looking into fully committing to the debt space in these markets for some time now; we know the demand is there for us to expand our offering further and provide a more joined-up approach for all our customers.

Nick is joining the business at a great time, and we’re excited to see our development origination offering flourish under his direction.”

Nick White, Head of Development Origination, Octopus Real Estate, commented:

“Octopus Real Estate has built an exceptional reputation as a leading specialist property lender, and I am delighted to join the team and help drive the organisation’s exciting plans for expansion in the wider residential debt sector.

It’s clear Octopus is a genuinely entrepreneurial business that has retained its culture despite its growth, so I’m excited to have the unique opportunity to link up with the other teams in the Real Estate business to find origination prospects across the UK that deliver a positive impact across society.”