Recognise Bank has appointed Luke Watson as director of intermediary sales and lending to drive its broker-facing proposition.
Watson (pictured) joins with more than 20 years’ experience across commercial real estate lending, underwriting and credit risk, and has worked across commercial investment, bridging and buy-to-let lending.
Recognise said he had most recently helped support lending volumes of about £2bn a year and brings experience of building and leading teams, improving operations and developing broker relationships.
Before joining the bank, Watson held senior roles at Shawbrook Bank and Amicus Commercial Mortgages, where he was involved in scaling lending operations, strengthening credit frameworks and supporting strategic change. He has also held real estate lending roles at Aldermore and Santander.
In the new post, Watson will focus on intermediary relationships, the lender’s proposition and growth, with an emphasis on what the bank described as disciplined, high-quality credit.
Watson said: “I’m delighted to be joining Recognise Bank and to be working with such a strong team at an exciting point in the bank’s journey.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always enjoyed building teams, developing people, and working closely with brokers to get deals done the right way. Recognise has a great platform to do that, combining solid credit fundamentals with a flexible, relationship-led approach.
“I’m really looking forward to getting started, meeting our intermediary partners and helping to drive the next phase of growth.”
Caroline Luxmore, chief commercial officer at Recognise Bank, said: “Luke’s appointment is a significant step forward as we continue to invest in our intermediary growth strategy.
“His depth of experience, leadership capability and strong track record in building high-performing teams make him an excellent fit for Recognise.
“We are committed to delivering a responsive, relationship-driven service to brokers and Luke’s expertise will be instrumental in further strengthening our proposition and supporting our continued growth.”
