New director has many years of experience in specialist lending
Lender Black & White Bridging has appointed Robert Owen to its board as non-executive director.
Prior to this appointment, Owen spent seven years at United Trust Bank where he was tasked with creating a new specialist property lending division for the bank, becoming managing director for the mortgage and bridging divisions.
He has main board experience at a number of regulated financial institutions, including chief executive at Matlock Bank, where he founded London Mortgage Company, and as chairman at Al Rayan Bank, the first Sharia retail bank outside the Gulf.
Damien Druce, commercial director at Black & White, welcomed the appointment of Owen, saying the latter’s expertise is valuable as he is one of the most experienced individuals in the industry.
Read more: Damien Druce set to lead growth at rebranded Black & White Bridging.
“For many years, he has been at the heart of the revolution in specialist lending in the UK and we are fortunate to have him join us. His intimate understanding of the industry and its funding, along with his experience of working with many of the big players in the city will be of tremendous value to Black & White, particularly at this stage in our development,” Druce said.
Owen, who was appointed on the first anniversary of Black & White’s launch as a national lender, said that he has known its chief executive, Martyn Smith, and Druce for many years.
“I have always been impressed by their extensive knowledge of the property development and complex bridging markets, coupled with a clear focus on customer service to the intermediary. I’m looking forward to this exciting new challenge,” he said.
