The Five Minute Interview with Oli Greenspan, Head of Marketing and Internal Sales, Octane Capital

By Tony Sanchez 22nd July 2019

Launched in May 2017, Octane Capital arrived backed by years of experience.

Jonathan Samuels (CEO) began Dragonfly in 2009. Mark Posniak (MD), Matt Smith (Director of Credit and Risk) and Robert Graham (Head of Finance) were all part of the same senior team. Together, they lent more than £2bn on over four thousand loans.

Rather than be constrained by a restrictive price to LTV matrix, Octane Capital recognises that LTV is only one dimension. Every loan is different… so Octane does not have a price matrix. They look at all aspects to deliver the best solution for you and your client.

We speak to Head of Marketing and Internal Sales, Oli Greenspan:

What is the best thing about being in the bridging finance business?

Without doubt, it’s the extreme pace at which everything happens and the fact, excuse the cliche, that no two days are the same.

In a sales context, not knowing what you’re going to be dealing with from day to day is very refreshing. It’s also very satisfying to work with some of the most experienced brokers operating in this space to help them achieve their clients’ goals.

It’s a highly innovative and rewarding sector to work in, not to mention high octane.

What keeps you focused?

I’m personally very focused on the technology side of our business, as our ambition is to be a really strong advocate for the use of tech in the bridging finance sector.

There’s a lot of untapped potential on this front. I also enjoy being part of the Octane team. It’s a great company made up of great people and we all love what we do and the goals we are working towards.

What qualities do you look for in your colleagues?

I think the ability to think on their feet is something everyone at Octane possesses — well that and a strong commercial appetite.

I also like colleagues with humility because you can’t get everything right all the time, however good you are at what you do. You can always learn from other people.

A bit of humour never hurts, either. We all work hard but you need to have fun along the way.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I am definitely an optimist. Everyone at Octane is more of a glass half-full optimist. We look at ways to make a deal work so this is a prerequisite for this business.

What did you want to be as a child?

I was really interested in pursuing a career as a doctor until I learned how much time you had to spend getting all the qualifications. Looked like far too much work.

What will be the greatest challenge facing the bridging industry in the coming months?

Finding a way to help clients that are suffering from downward valuations in the property market will certainly be one challenge.

And for us personally, continuing to get the 3rdgen lending message out there with the level of momentum we have had to date.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Matt Smith – the guy is a comedy genius. But please don’t tell him that.

Do you dread Monday mornings?

Absolutely not. When you have an 18-month old son, Monday mornings feel like paradise!

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My level of impatience. I’m constantly looking at what the next challenge may be even though I have only just finished the last. But then again, that might not be a bad thing.

With whom would you most like to have dinner?

In fear of putting someone else and her reading it – my wife.