Our Team
Experienced, pragmatic and motivated to lend
Experienced, pragmatic and motivated to lend
Filter by:
Luke Townsend
Founder & Non-Executive Chairman
Luke’s career began in the media industry working for Clear Channel, The Wall Street Journal and AOL-Time Warner. A passion for property led to a change in profession and he began developing and re-purposing prime real estate in London with great [...]
Luke Townsend
Founder & Non-Executive Chairman
Luke Townsend
Founder & Non-Executive Chairman
Luke’s career began in the media industry working for Clear Channel, The Wall Street Journal and AOL-Time Warner. A passion for property led to a change in profession and he began developing and re-purposing prime real estate in London with great success. However, his frustration with the service he received from banks during this time led him to consider a better way of lending and in 2011 he established Zorin Finance. During his tenure as CEO from 2011 – 2023, Luke led the business to become a market leader in UK alternative real estate finance, with a loan book of c.£800m. He has personally invested in over 200 real estate loans and equity investments and continues to support the business as a shareholder and Non-Executive Chairman.
Benoit Vanpoperinghe
Partner
Benoit has over 25 years' experience in commercial real estate finance, securitisation and capital markets, having previously held positions at Barclays, Morgan Stanley and [...]
Benoit Vanpoperinghe
Partner
Benoit Vanpoperinghe
Partner
Benoit has over 25 years’ experience in commercial real estate finance, securitisation and capital markets, having previously held positions at Barclays, Morgan Stanley and Fitch Ratings. Throughout his career, Benoit has held roles in real estate finance, including real estate loan origination and execution in UK/Europe, real estate loan underwriting and credit analysis. Benoit was previously trading real estate backed bonds at Barclays, as well as managing a portfolio of legacy bonds and structuring real estate fixed income securities.
Andrew Scotting
Partner
Andrew has over 30 years' experience within the real estate finance industry, having previously held positions at Pluto Finance, Heritable Bank and [...]
Andrew Scotting
Partner
Andrew Scotting
Partner
Andrew has over 30 years’ experience within the real estate finance industry, having previously held positions at Pluto Finance, Heritable Bank and Investec. Andrew has structured hundreds of real estate transactions both in the UK and Europe and has extensive expertise in the stretched senior debt and mezzanine finance sectors. In addition to his excellent loan origination and relationship management skills, Andrew is a seasoned credit risk analyst with a strong background in distressed debt work-outs. Andrew holds a BA hons degree in Estate Management from Reading University.
Richard Gosden
Partner
Richard has over 25 years' experience within the banking industry, with a particular focus on Real Estate Finance. Prior to joining Zorin, Richard held positions at Barclays Bank, Bank Leumi, Israel Discount Bank and most recently a privately funded development [...]
Richard Gosden
Partner
Richard Gosden
Partner
Richard has over 25 years’ experience within the banking industry, with a particular focus on Real Estate Finance. Prior to joining Zorin, Richard held positions at Barclays Bank, Bank Leumi, Israel Discount Bank and most recently a privately funded development lender. Richard has assessed, documented and managed a wealth of residential development transactions, UK wide, over his career. He’s also garnered considerable experience in distressed debt work-out and recovery, together with documenting European hotel transactions.
Alexander Banbury
Head of Investment Loans
Alex has over 15 years' banking and financial services experience. Prior to joining Zorin, he was a Director in the commercial real estate team at a challenger bank, originating and executing commercial and residential investment [...]
Alexander Banbury
Head of Investment Loans
Alexander Banbury
Head of Investment Loans
Alex has over 15 years’ banking and financial services experience. Prior to joining Zorin, he was a Director in the commercial real estate team at a challenger bank, originating and executing commercial and residential investment loans. He has broad credit experience, having previously focused on SME finance and debt advisory at the bank. Prior to this, Alex worked in renewable energy investment and development. He started his career in investor relations, advising UK listed companies and alternative investment funds.
Anthony Raud
Head of Development Finance
Anthony has extensive experience in real estate development and investment finance, covering origination, underwriting, and deal execution. Before joining Zorin in 2025, Anthony was a Director in the Origination team at Maslow Capital and previously held roles at ANZ within the [...]
Anthony Raud
Head of Development Finance
Anthony Raud
Head of Development Finance
Anthony has extensive experience in real estate development and investment finance, covering origination, underwriting, and deal execution. Before joining Zorin in 2025, Anthony was a Director in the Origination team at Maslow Capital and previously held roles at ANZ within the Institutional Property Group. Anthony has a proven track record in structuring and managing complex real estate transactions, along with building and deepening client relationships.
Declan Smith
Lending Director
Declan has over 10 years’ experience in design, construction and development, having previously held roles in architecture, project management and development [...]
Declan Smith
Lending Director
Declan Smith
Lending Director
Declan has over 10 years’ experience in design, construction and development, having previously held roles in architecture, project management and development monitoring. He is an ARB registered architect and member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, while also holding a number of qualifications including recently completing an Msc. in Property Finance at the University of Westminster. Previously, Declan has worked at Gardiner & Theobald, Cushman & Wakefield and architects MoreySmith. His experience acting on behalf of private clients, commercial occupiers and institutional funders as designer, project manager and funding monitor, allows a holistic understanding of the complete development cycle.
George Cresswell
Lending Manager
With a strong background in Real Estate Finance, George brings over 6 years of experience to his role as Lending Manager at Zorin Finance. Having previously worked with a specialist lender focused on short-term property finance, he has successfully executed numerous bridging and development [...].
George Cresswell
Lending Manager
George Cresswell
Lending Manager
With a strong background in Real Estate Finance, George brings over 6 years of experience to his role as Lending Manager at Zorin Finance. Having previously worked with a specialist lender focused on short-term property finance, he has successfully executed numerous bridging and development loans. Now, George has honed his expertise in structuring debt and managing client relationships, concentrating on identifying and developing new business opportunities while maintaining strong client connections.
This content is not available in your country
Unfortunately this content is not available in your country