Close Brothers Property Finance has appointed Stuart Heslop (pictured) as a consultant to support its regional team in Edinburgh, led by director Gary Ferris, and to work closely with its Scotland and North of England teams.
Heslop joins following a 35-year career at Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest Group, where he served as managing director of real estate finance for Scotland and North England.
Since leaving banking, he has worked in a consulting capacity across the UK property sector and has continued to advocate for SME developers and the wider housing market in Scotland.
He holds a number of senior non-executive and strategic roles, including positions with Scotsman Group, Knight Property Group, The Morris Leslie Group and Clyde Gateway.
In 2023, he received the Business Leadership Award at the Scottish Property Awards and previously served on the board of the Scottish Property Federation between 2015 and 2022.
Close Brothers Property Finance said his experience in UK real estate finance, regional economic development and strategic leadership will support its plans to expand its lending footprint and diversify its product offering across regional markets.
Phil Hooper, chief executive at Close Brothers Property Finance, said: “At a time when we are broadening our regional lending hubs and diversifying our product offering, it feels the perfect moment to bring Stuart into Close Brothers.
“He will play a leading role in driving the business forward across Scotland and the North of England.
“He will also sit within the leadership team making a wider contribution to our growth strategy. I have known Stuart for 20 years and look forward to working alongside him once again.”
Heslop said: “Over the last few years I have worked with a number of clients who speak very highly of the solutions that Close Brothers bring to the development funding market.
“I am looking forward to working with Phil and the team to help support a wide range of deals, as we look to grow our regional presence and cement our reputation as the go-to development lender in the market.”