Specialist development finance lender Pivot has announced the addition of Graham Emmett to its leadership team.
Emmett (pictured), an industry figure with a career in real estate finance spanning over 35 years, joins as a non-executive director (NED).
He has held senior positions at various institutions, including Delancey Estates, Goldman Sachs, Cheyne Capital, and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in Ireland where he oversaw a €72bn portfolio of real estate loans.
Emmett was also employed by EY to manage Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander’s specialist UK residential development loan book during its administration.
In 2019, he co-founded Atelier Capital Partners, where he served as CEO until December 2023, driving the growth of a successful alternative lending platform focused on residential development and land bridging loans in the UK.
PIVOTAL ROLES
Across his various appointments, Emmett has played a key role in building best-in-class teams, deal origination and structuring at all levels in the capital stack, as well as funding line and JV negotiations.
Pivot says Emmett will be integral to the refinement of its goal to be the “go-to lending partner” of SME developers throughout England and Wales.
He will be a credit committee member and work closely with Shahil Kotecha, Pivot CEO, to refine strategy, enhance product and technology development and the overall lending proposition.
“It is my ambition to help scale a platform that empowers best-in-class employees and can evolve with the market and its ever-changing demands”
Emmett said: “Understanding the borrower’s perspective, especially in residential development projects, is essential. Pivot is a lending platform which affords real hands-on development funding expertise in its DNA and adds true value to the broker and borrower experience.
“It is my ambition to help scale a platform that empowers best-in-class employees and can evolve with the market and its ever-changing demands, thus prioritising clients needs—and I have found that in Pivot. This culture is also shared by Pivot’s majority shareholder, Quilam Capital, which bring ongoing financial commitment, institutional governance and rigour to all our processes.
“Shahil and Andreas [Yianni, Pivot’s commercial director] have done an incredible job in assembling a team of trusted market experts—people who want to contribute to the business’s success. I am proud to join a company that is demonstrably committed to leading the way and setting the standard.”
Kotecha added: “We have been on a clear mission to invest in great people who will position Pivot as the development funding partner of choice for deals between £1m and £10m. Graham aligns perfectly with this ambition, sharing our passion for deliverability and evolution.
“He has an enormous amount of experience, spanning several property cycles and sectors, and we are genuinely excited to welcome him as a member of the leadership team.”
