Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has made three relationship manager appointments to its development finance team, enhancing support for developers and brokers.
Serena Rahim Shah (pictured, left) has joined from Arbuthnot Latham, bringing experience from real estate finance, commercial banking and restructuring. Tom Genner (pictured, middle) has also been appointed; he was most recently at Avamore Capital, working across credit analysis and investor relations.
Olivia Emmett (pictured, right) joins from Pivot Finance, and before this was an analyst at Atelier, focusing on specialist property lending.
All three relationship managers will report to Michael O’Donnell, head of relationship management for development finance at HTB.
O’Donnell said: “We are delighted to welcome Serena, Tom and Olivia to the relationship management team. Each brings the experience, understanding and client focus that reflect how we work at Hampshire Trust Bank.
“Our team stays close to every project from day one, working alongside developers and brokers to anticipate challenges early and keep funding aligned to how schemes evolve. On every transaction, a broker and borrower have direct access to both a lending director and a relationship manager, ensuring there is always someone who understands the deal and can resolve issues quickly.”
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He added: “Relationship managers play a key role in structuring and onboarding, acting as a constant point of contact for our clients throughout the life of a project. We know conditions on site can change quickly, so having the right people in place to respond and keep things moving is essential.
“As our portfolio grows, expanding our relationship management function ensures every client continues to receive the same accessibility, clarity and consistency that define Hampshire Trust Bank. These appointments strengthen our ability to support developers through every stage of their project, from first drawdown to final completion.”
Neil Leitch, managing director of development finance at HTB, added: “Relationship management sits at the heart of how we deliver development finance. Our strength as a lender comes from staying close to our clients, understanding their projects and acting quickly when something changes on site.
“Expanding this team gives us the depth to stay connected with every developer we support. It allows us to maintain the quality of communication, responsiveness and decision-making that brokers and clients expect from HTB, even as demand continues to grow.
“Serena, Tom and Olivia each bring the experience and approach that fit how we work: practical, collaborative and relationship driven. Their appointments ensure we keep delivering the certainty and partnership that help developers move projects forward with confidence.”
Last month, the firm appointed Paula Priest as a business development manager (BDM) in its specialist mortgages team, covering the Midlands.
