LHV Bank has strengthened its UK lending operation with four senior appointments as it continues to expand its support for brokers and their clients.

Olivia Carling and Emma Wright join the Manchester office as lending operations managers, while Dassos Alexandrou and James Murphy take up posts as lending managers in London and Manchester respectively.

Carling moves from Shawbrook Bank, where she worked as a completions officer, and will oversee the progression of deals through to completion.

Wright (pictured, right), who previously held roles at Lloyds Banking Group, will focus on managing complex cases and coordinating closely with underwriters.

Alexandrou, formerly portfolio manager at Reliance Bank, brings experience in commercial real estate investment and trading loans. Based in London, he will work directly with brokers to structure facilities for SMEs and property investors.

Murphy (pictured, left), who spent eight years at Santander UK in credit risk and relationship management, will concentrate on broker relationships in the North West.

The new hires follow a period of strong growth for LHV. In July, the bank reported its active loan book had exceeded £500m, with more than £550m issued to date and assets surpassing £1bn.

Conor McDermott, director of SME lending at LHV Bank, said the appointments reinforced the bank’s commitment to the broker market. “Brokers want to know that the lenders they work with have the right people in place to get deals done,” he said.

“Bringing Olivia, Emma, Dassos and James into the team gives us additional expertise across both front-end structuring and back-office operations. That combination is vital in a market where speed, certainty and service are paramount.”

He added that the blend of operations managers to keep cases moving and lending managers working with brokers on structuring would help build stronger partnerships across the UK.