Raphael was formerly head of regulated underwriting, having joined the business in February 2021 from Masthaven Bank.

The other promotions include Ayondip Dam, who has moved up from underwriter to head of regulated underwriting; Sarah Parsons and David Kingham from underwriters to senior underwriters; and Emily Hatt from case manager to junior underwriter.

“These promotions are in recognition of everything the regulated underwriting team has achieved over the past few years,” said Joshua Elash, director and founder of MT Finance.

“We have highly talented, dedicated members of staff, and I’m delighted that their hard work has been rewarded.

“The new role of head of lending for bridging finance is sure to be complex and challenging, but I expect Raphael to take this in his stride and make it his own.”

Raphael commented: “I’m delighted to be taking on this new role and it’s a real privilege to have the directors’ backing, giving me the opportunity to step up and oversee the management of our bridging offering.

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“I intend to ensure our bridging proposition remains focused on delivering the quality of service we are known for, creating an efficient and seamless loan journey for clients, and maintaining a commercial attitude to our underwriting.”

Joshua added: “I am looking forward to seeing how Ayondip shapes his new role; having joined in 2018, he has proved himself to be a highly capable team member and I have no doubt he will flourish as head of regulated underwriting.

“This is an exciting time for the business and these promotions perfectly complement the company's ambitions."

In October 2022, the lender sold a minority stake in the business to an American fixed-income-focused investment firm.

The business launched its regulated bridging offering in 2020 and its BTL range in July last year, following a forward flow agreement it secured with JP Morgan.

Pictured above (L-R): David Kingham, Sarah Parsons, Raphael Benggio, Emily Watt, and Ayondip Dam