Roma Finance has made two senior appointments as part of its strategy to double its loan book by 2026.

The Manchester-based lender has recruited Richard Wilfan as senior business development manager for the North and Joshua O’Leary as senior relationship manager for the South.

Wilfan (pictured, left) joins with 17 years’ experience in specialist finance, including eight years at Together, where he progressed from administration to team leader and underwriter. He later spent nine years at Goldentree as a business development manager.

O’Leary (pictured, right) moves from real estate finance brokerage Mackenzie Byrne, where he was director of development and structured finance. Over five years he specialised in ground-up residential projects and structured transactions involving senior lenders and third-party equity.

The hires follow a strong period of growth for Roma, which has expanded its product range, improved its processes, secured additional funding lines and increased its loan book to £250 million.

Michael Allison, commercial director at Roma Finance, said: “2025 has been an exceptional year for us, with record-breaking months and multiple product launches.

“Strengthening our commercial team is key to supporting our customers and brokers, as well as ensuring our ambitious, transparent targets are achieved through a talent-driven sales strategy.”

Wilfan said: “I’m excited to join Roma Finance at such a pivotal time for the business.

“The team’s focus on innovation and delivering strong outcomes for brokers and their customers aligns perfectly with my experience and approach, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued growth.”