Assetz Capital has appointed five new relationship directors since the beginning of November as it approaches its £1bn lending milestone.

Lee Francis has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate banking sector, having held senior positions at Santander and Clydesdale Bank as relationship director in the London city offices. He will cover London and the South East, working with the team to help businesses in the region secure funding.

Paul King will be joining the team in the Midlands with 35 years’ experience in the finance and property sector.

King worked for himself through his own financial and general consultancy business before joining Assetz, and prior to this, held senior positions at both RBS and JLL Debt Advisory.

Tony Kear joins with 34 years’ experience in banking, having held senior positions at RBS/ Barclays as a Regional Head of Healthcare and most recently as corporate banking manager at Handelsbanken. Kear will have a focus towards the South Wales and Bristol regions.

Serving businesses across Scotland will be Lucie Martin. Originally from Australia, Martin has held various positions at some of the biggest firms in the country such as National Australia Bank, BNP Paribas and Westpac.

Before joining Assetz, Martin held the position of head of origination for Scotland and North East England for Allied Irish Bank.

Finally, Jon Pike will be based in Exeter, focusing on developing the business in the South West and on a wider stage as a key member of the national care home team.

He brings with him 36 years’ experience in banking and joins from Santander, where he was lead for healthcare in the West.

In their new roles, the relationship directors will work with brokers and intermediaries to provide businesses and property developers with development finance, property investment finance, commercial mortgages and bridging loans.

Since establishing in 2013, Assetz Capital has lent over £900m to UK SMEs, funding projects such as commercial properties, housing developments, care homes and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). The marketplace lender funded new housing projects last year representing the equivalent of 1 in every 100 new homes built.

Stuart Law (pictured), CEO of Assetz Capital, said: “Our commitment to supporting SMEs and property developers in the UK in their quest for growth means that we have bolstered our team in order to meet demand. The appetite for growth capital is a positive sign for the local and national economy and shows businesses confidence is relatively high.

“As we are approaching our £1bn lending milestone, it is important that we have the best teams possible in order for firms to achieve their potential. I’m delighted to be welcoming Lee, Tony, Lucie and Paul to the team and with their impressive backgrounds and wealth of local knowledge, and I am excited to see the positive impact that they will have on their respective patches.”