Shawbrook has bolstered its development finance team with three new appointments.

The lender has appointed Philip Kirkwood as senior relationship director, where he will be responsible for originating new deals and building a portfolio of developers and housebuilders operating across the South East of England, including London.

Kirkwood has over 25 years’ experience in the sector and was also one of the founding members of Shawbrook’s development finance team in 2016, rejoining the specialist lender following a stint at United Trust Bank.

In addition, Shawbrook continues to strengthen its regional coverage by appointing Greg Pescott and Tom Edmunds as relationship directors, overseeing the South West & Wales and the Midlands regions, respectively. The pair will focus on delivering bespoke funding packages to support developers from the planning stages to the sale of their development projects.

Shawbrook has also invested in its loan support function, an experienced team responsible for assisting the relationship directors throughout the lifecycle of a facility.

Terry Woodley, managing director, development finance at Shawbrook, said: “We recently surpassed £2bn in lending which makes it an exciting time for the development finance team. We’re delighted to be expanding the team with some fantastic new hires; it’s great to see Philip return to Shawbrook to be part of the journey, and I look forward to working alongside Greg and Tom as we continue to expand our regional teams across the UK.

“The diverse experience of all our new hires will be fundamental in growing our exposure and strengthening our support for developers, with bespoke funding for their projects.”