Puma Property Finance has appointed Dee Korab as head of impact to lead the group’s impact lending activities and ESG initiatives.
Korab was previously the founder and head of specialist consultancy Sparkd, which supports lenders such as the Green Finance Institute to advance sustainable finance measures.
During her career in global banking and real estate finance, Korab has also worked at HSBC, National Australia Bank and ANZ Bank in origination and credit risk roles, including as a director in HSBC’s real estate finance team and sustainability lead.
At Puma, Korab will develop and expand the group’s Impact Lending Framework (ILF), which offers developers incentives to adopt sustainability measures and socially impactful projects.
Developments qualifying for a Puma impact loan can benefit from up to a 1% cut in finance costs, paid when the project to is completed to ensure that a real, tangible impact is achieved.
In its first year of operation in 2024, the ILF registered £145m of development loans and Puma is investing further in the framework.
Korab said: “My focus will be on ensuring we deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for our clients, investors and in the buildings and communities to which we deploy capital.
“There’s a huge opportunity to lead the market in demonstrating that ambitious social and sustainability standards and strong financial performance are fully aligned.”
Paul Frost, managing director of Puma Property Finance, added: “Dee brings a wealth of experience in sustainable real estate finance and her appointment reflects our continued commitment to being both a market leader and a thought leader in impact lending.”
Korab replaces Puma’s previous head of impact, Sarah Milne, who has become chief executive of residential mezzanine finance provider Property Box Finance, which she co-founded.
Frost added: “Sarah’s work has laid a strong foundation for our impact strategy and we’re incredibly proud of what she’s helped us achieve.”
