John Eastgate has been appointed as the first chief commercial officer (CCO) of LendInvest Mortgages, with a mandate to drive its strategic growth.
The property lending platform created the role to demonstrate its commitment to progressing with its strategy, focus on lending growth, and improve its operational efficiency.
Eastgate has around 30 years of experience in the sector and joins from Redwood Bank, where he was in a similar role for nearly two years.
He was also sales and marketing director at Saffron Building Society, then moved into a similar role at OSB Group. He later joined Shawbrook as the managing director of property finance before becoming interim chief lending officer at Nottingham Building Society.
At LendInvest, Eastgate will lead the commercial function, with an immediate focus on making sure its products are competitive, differentiated and meet borrower needs. He will also engage with brokers, boost customer retention and manage acquisition costs.
In the coming year, Eastgate will work with teams across pricing, marketing, distribution and operations to drive lending growth through an improved proposition and disciplined pricing strategies. He will lead the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered processes and data analytics to streamline underwriting and servicing workflows, while cutting decision to drawdown times.
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Eastgate will also focus on increasing repeat business and enhancing the borrower experience to grow profitability for the full year of 2025-26. The firm posted a loss of £20.1m for 2024.
Rod Lockart, CEO of LendInvest, said: “All of us at LendInvest are aware of both the challenges and opportunities facing the UK property market, and that’s why I’m thrilled to welcome John Eastgate as the first chief commercial officer.
“John’s expertise will be crucial in accelerating our strategic objectives of lending growth, enhancing our operational efficiency, and driving our profitability. John’s leadership will impact our product mix, deepening broker relationships and leveraging innovations in AI and data to streamline our operations.
“Looking ahead, he will be instrumental in delivering customer-focused propositions, ultimately solidifying LendInvest’s position as a preeminent alternative finance provider in the UK.”
Eastgate (pictured) added: “After speaking with Rod and his team, it quickly became clear that taking on this role was an opportunity I could not pass up.
“I bring to the role the experience of having navigated the same challenging market dynamics and growth opportunities that LendInvest can see now. There is huge potential in the depth of people talent here, and as I step into this new role, I’m excited by the opportunity to foster an environment in which my colleagues can grow and demonstrate their expertise.
“It feels like a great time to join LendInvest, and I look forward to helping to propel LendInvest’s future as a leader in innovation in the UK property market.”