Surridge joins Linear as director; Pennal named non-executive advisor at Pluto Finance
Two seasoned industry professionals have stepped into key roles in firms within the UK mortgage and property finance sectors.
Matt Surridge (pictured left) has been appointed director of Linear Financial Solutions, an appointed representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network. He replaces Donald Fraser, who retired on 6 February, and will also serve as interim sales director for LSL Financial Services.
Surridge joins Linear from MPowered Mortgages, bringing more than 20 years of experience in business development and broker relations. His career includes senior roles at Mortgage Brain, Countrywide, and Lloyds Banking Group.
Commenting on his appointment, Surridge said he looks forward to building on Fraser’s success and strengthening Linear’s position within the PRIMIS network.
Meanwhile, Pluto Finance, a private credit provider for UK residential and commercial property developers, has appointed Frank Pennal (pictured right) as a non-executive advisor.
Pennal brings 44 years of experience, most notably serving as chief executive of Close Brothers Property Lending for 19 years. Under his leadership, Close Brothers’ loan book grew from £40 million to £1.7 billion, financing the construction of approximately 7,000 homes across the UK at any given time.
“I have keenly observed Pluto’s growth as it has become one of the UK’s leading providers of finance for vital housebuilding projects,” Pennal said. “I have also been impressed by the strength of its relationships with developers, as evidenced by its strong rates of repeat business, and its ability to attract high quality institutional capital to fund its growing loan book and pipeline. This is an exciting time to join Pluto’s advisory panel, and I look forward to working with the team to help achieve its ambitious growth targets.”
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