Paragon Bank has appointed Karl Kent as relationship director for on Yorkshire and North East in the development finance division

Kent (pictured) joins Paragon from Shawbrook Bank, where he spent three years as a relationship director in the north of England.

In a 30-year financial services career, he has spent the last 20 years focused on the property, real estate and development finance sectors for companies including RBS, Lloyds Banking Group, Assetz Capital and RateSetter, where he worked with Paragon development finance managing director Neal Moy.

In his new role, Kent will be supporting SME housebuilders and property developers in Yorkshire and the North East across a range of property types, including residential, retirement housing, purpose-built student accommodation and build-to-rent. He will report to senior relationship director Nigel Jackson.

Kent said: “I am pleased to be joining the development finance division at Paragon as it is a well-established team with talented individuals who work on some great projects. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the role and hope that together we can build on the division’s existing success.

“Yorkshire and the North East boasts some fantastic developers and I will work with them to deliver much-needed new homes to the regions.”

Moy added: “Karl’s experience in the development finance sector is extensive and will be of great benefit to both our team and our clients. At Paragon, we strive to recruit the best talent to enable us to support our clients and deliver great results. Therefore, hiring experienced team members like Karl is essential in helping us to build on our success.”