In his new role, he will help Blend deploy a large pool of funding recently committed by several family offices and a group of prominent investors.

Ian has over 35 years of experience in banking, finance and real estate, having held roles at various companies throughout his career, including RateSetter, HSBC and Davenham.

Before joining Blend, he worked as a BDM at Premier Guarantee, where he provided structural warranties and building control for local, regional and national developers, contractors, local authorities and housing associations covering the South West and south Wales.

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Ian’s appointment is part of Blend’s regional expansion strategy, and comes after the lender hired Philip Anderson to head up its new Northern Ireland office in Belfast, and Chris Mason to lead the mid-country lending operations based in Cambridgeshire.

“I am very pleased to be joining Blend at such an exciting time,” said Ian.

“Blend is a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation with a strong appetite to offer development finance to experienced developers. 

“While there are a number of factors that continue to hinder the supply of new housing stock coming to the market, I am hopeful that by increasing the availability of development finance, it will go some way to increase the supply of new homes in the South West and Wales.”

Yann Murciano, CEO at Blend Network, added: “We are delighted to welcome Ian to our growing lending team. 

“Ian has a breadth and depth of experience across the real estate and finance sectors, as well as extensive regional expertise in the South West and Wales, which will significantly help us scale our loan book in those regions. 

“His appointment will allow us to expand our presence on the ground in the South West and Wales, helping to deploy our capital in those buoyant regions in line with the government’s Levelling Up agenda.”