PROPERTY finance lender MSP Capital has promoted two senior team members to its board of directors. 

Colleagues Nicky Hollamby and Lee Merrifield, who both joined the Poole-based firm in 2017, step up from associate director roles having taken on extra strategic responsibilities in the past year. 

It is the first time MSP Capital has announced top level board appointments since April 2018. 

Chartered accountant Nicky is the new finance director while chartered banker Lee has become director of credit. 

Nicky was previously an auditor at Grant Thornton where she worked with clients ranging from small owner-managed businesses to PLCs. 

At MSP Capital she has grown the ability of the finance department to provide real time data and analysis to inform decision making. 

Her role has deepened substantially over the years and she has been involved in a series of key transactions. 

As finance director, Nicky is tasked with driving the direction of the firm’s strategic funding programme, building on its relationships with institutional investors. 

She will also oversee operational finance activities with borrowers, including financial crime compliance. 

Director of credit Lee spent 28 years at NatWest. He worked extensively with real estate clients of the bank, gaining in-depth experience of both the residential and commercial property sectors. 

His main focus was on funding, risk assessment and credit control for clients in Bournemouth and Southampton. 

At MSP Capital Lee applies his decades of lending experience to decisions on funding solutions and the firm’s credit appetite. 

He also provides guidance on how best to reach potential borrowers through self-generation and marketing.  

Both Nicky and Lee took on associate director roles at the end of 2022 with remits designed to enhance MSP Capital’s flexibility, responsiveness and entrepreneurship in the market. 

MSP Capital’s managing director Martin Higgins said: “These much-deserved moves are a natural progression in our growth journey. 

“They recognise the responsibilities that Nicky and Lee have both taken on in the past year as experienced, talented and dedicated professionals keen to further the business and achieve the best outcomes for our clients.  

“By recognising the skillsets and career ambitions of our fellow directors, we are ensuring that MSP Capital continues to go from strength to strength in the best possible hands. 

“These promotions strengthen our holistic skillset at director level and will, in turn, bolster our position as the lender of choice for development and bridging finance.”