First 4 Bridging (F4B) has announced the appointment of Drena Gashi as a key account manager to cover London and the surrounding areas.

It has also welcomed Katie Dawes to its underwriting team.

Gashi (pictured) comes from a sales and finance background, with a focus on specialist lending and private client relationships. Her past experience includes a corporate sales director and business development role in the UK specialist lending market and as a lending specialist for private clients at JP Morgan Chase Bank in the North American high net worth property market.

Dawes joins F4B from the Legal Hub Group. She will be responsible for ensuring that cases progress smoothly and ensure that all SLAs are achieved. Previous to this role, she has worked in the finance industry for nine years, including positions as a case owner at Affirmative Finance and as a case officer at TFC Homeloans.

Donna Wells, director at F4B, said: “The recruitment process is never easy and we are delighted to have attracted two outstanding talents to help accelerate our ambitious growth plans and provide an even stronger level of expertise and support for new and existing intermediary partners.

“Drena brings her own unique style of transatlantic enthusiasm, aptitude and extensive market experience which will allow her to establish a number of key relationships and help support a range of complex transactions. In addition, Katie prides herself on delivering the highest service standards and her determination to meet case deadlines, whilst working hard to deliver the best client outcomes, will help bolster an already strong underwriting team.

“Further additions are expected to the F4B team as we continue to expand the business to accommodate growing demand across all areas of the specialist lending marketplace.”