Meet the team

There are great opportunities in the highly competitive property market, but when you are seeking finance, you need a responsive service from people that understand the sector, see the value you see and can make decisions fast. Assembling a team of specialists, experienced in every aspect of the property market, not only allows us to make all our lending decisions in-house, but ensures we work with you, to find ways to lend, not reasons to turn you down.

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Josh Barrett

Client Relationship Executive

Josh recently graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University, having studied Business & Management (Finance). Originally from Trowbridge, he enjoyed his time so much in Cardiff, he has now settled locally and jumped at the chance of a role in our Cardiff office.

Josh’s studies have given him a great foundation on which to build his career, with a hands-on role supporting our broker and property develop clients providing the valuable real-world experience. As a member of our Lending Team, he helps progress deals, undertaking searches and managing the necessary electronic documentation to support loan applications.

Josh is a keen rugby player, which will ensure plenty of support and encouragement from a Signature team that shares his passion for the oval ball.

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Chris Buttle

Lending Manager

Chris is a familiar face amongst the South Wales business community, having spent more than 35 years in a variety of roles with HSBC bank across the region. He covers the South and West regions for SPF Bridging and I based in our busy Cardiff office.

Chris assesses and approves short-term property finance applications within our approved lending mandate. He is very positive by nature and combines an unrivalled understanding of bridging finance with a pro-active attitude to underwriting, which ensures we always make informed lending decisions, as quickly as possible.

As a family man Chris likes to spend time with his 4 children. He is an avid Wales and long-suffering Ospreys rugby supporter and, many moons ago, was fortunate enough to have played in the centre with ex Wales and British and Irish Lions centre Allan Bateman.

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Nazmin Choudhary

Client Relationship Executive

Nazmin is a highly successful individual with a vast range of banking experience, exposure to extensive banking involvement within Retail Banking, Business Banking and the Insurance sectors have enabled her to grasp thorough and detailed knowledge of the world of Banking and Finance.

She has developed a reputation for the strong client relationships she establishes and her ability to plan, analyse, pay attention to detail, organise and adapt to situations in highly pressurised environments, whilst remaining confident, good humoured and professional.

Nazmin works within the Lending team, she is responsible to manage the pipeline of cases through to completion ensuring both company service standards and the regulatory requirements are adhered to throughout the process.

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Alan Coats

Lending Manager (Scotland)

Alan heads up our business north of the border as Lending Manager, Scotland. He is well known on the east coast, having been an Area Director for the Bank of Scotland in a previous role, with a clear understanding of where the main property hotspots are and the funding needs of property developers.

A highly regarded senior management professional with over 30 years’ industry experience, he is renowned for his attention to detail and uncanny ability to work with clients and key stakeholders to deliver bridging, refurbishment, and development lending to the Scottish market.

Our business in Scotland has gone from strength to strength since our launch in the summer of 2019 and Alan’s ability to structure funding solutions for clients to meet their needs and to build strong relationships with brokers, clients and professionals have been key to this growth.

Away from the office, Alan enjoys a spot of fly fishing on the rivers and lochs of Scotland.

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Ken Davies

Relationship Manager

Ken, another of our Cardiff-based team, is renowned for his work with property developers helping secure the funding needed for new build and conversion developments. He epitomises the Signature approach to funding, based on personal experience, having been a property developer himself and a CeMap Qualified Independent Mortgage Adviser.

Ken understands the challenges faced by property developers and happily spends time on site to discuss their plans as the seek funds to start or finish their projects. He knows certainty of funding is critical to developers and helps advise on clients’ cost schedules to ensure projects have sufficient contingency built-in to absorb current material and labour price volatility.

Beyond short-term property finance, music is a big part of Ken’s life, with experience managing the careers of UK sister duo ElectroVamp turning his love for music into a business interest.

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Tony Gilbertson BSc (Hons)

CEO

Tony is an experienced financier, with over 30 years’ experience of the property finance market. He worked for a major high street bank holding several lending roles in a managerial capacity, including as a regional underwriter, concentrating predominately on real estate lending.

He also has many subsequent years practical experience as both a property developer and commercial finance broker. His claim to fame is having had the privilege to have played rugby, admittedly many decades ago, alongside the best outside half of the 20th century.

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Thomas Howells

Legal Director

Thomas is our in-house Legal Director. He trained as a Commercial Property solicitor in a niche Cardiff law firm before moving to a specialist property law firm where he progressed up to Partner level in the Commercial Property department.

In his previous role, Thomas was predominantly representing and advising banks in the field of secured lending in order to perfect their security for their commercial loans. He also advised many clients on their acquisitions and financing of Commercial Properties, developing unrivalled knowledge and understanding of the entire process, from the lending side through to the legal process.

Thomas is a keen golfer, but when not watching or playing sport he enjoys taxying his children from A to B to C and back home.

He once met Shane Warne when Australia played Glamorgan on tour and although he signed his autograph, Shane told Thomas to ‘go away quickly’ in ‘industrial’ language because Tom, oblivious to the on-going match, had run across the pitch in the middle of the over to secure the autograph.

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David Hughes

Finance Director

David is a well-rounded, commercially strong Chartered Accountant with a legal background. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role and will help guide the strategic development of our business. His main goal though, is to ensure we have the necessary internal controls and reporting procedures in place to cope with our growth.

David has a strong history of managing the finance function, working with owner managed SME’s to large multinational PLCs. He has great experience of both the fine detail and big picture thinking required by modern short-term lenders like Signature.

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Paul Jones

Legal Counsel & Relationship Manager
Solicitor (Non-practising)

Paul wears two hats within our business, advising our internal teams on the necessary legal work and supporting our clients as a relationship manager. After a long stint in the legal sector, Paul decided it was time to swap sides and work on the funding side for a change!

Having cut his legal teeth at several top 100 UK Law firms, Paul co-founded law firm Hek Jones and headed its Commercial Property team. He was shortlisted for Commercial Property Lawyer of the Year for South Wales in 2008 and the firm was nominated in 2009 for the Commercial Property Firm of the Year.

In 2012 Paul founded specialist property law firm, Insight Law, with the aim of disrupting the legal sector and delivering advice in an efficient, commercial and cost-effective manner, with the client at the heart of every decision. Clients will benefit from his years of experience working in some of the largest funding and development schemes in Wales and the Southwest.

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Trevor Melly

Operations Director

Trevor brings a wealth of banking and property finance experience to the role of Lending Manager. He’s previously been a Mortgage Underwriter with Bank of Ireland and an Account Relationship Manager in the Corporate Real Estate Team at Mizrahi Tefahot Bank.

Trevor is responsible for assessing and approving property finance applications within our approved lending mandate. He combines strong analytical skills with sound judgement and a pragmatic approach to underwriting to ensure we always make informed lending decisions, in the shortest time possible.

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Bernadette Moloney

Business Development Executive

Having gained a degree in Interior Design, Bernadette went on to work for design and architecture practises in a 20-year career, focussing on the commercial, leisure and hospitality sectors. Her projects included New Builds, renovations and refurbishments, with responsibility for managing the projects from concept to completion.

Bernadette’s passion for property continues, providing support to our team of regional Relationship Managers, working with brokers to ensure clients achieve their property development goals. She brings a calm ordered approach to connecting with clients and prospects alike.

Bernie, as she is affectionately known, lives in Warwickshire and away from the office enjoys spending time on a host of interests, including sport, music, local history and long country walks – no doubt looking at property.

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Huw Richards

Relationship Manager

Huw is well known in the South Wales region, where he has carved out a successful career in finance, stretching back almost 40 years. In that time, roles with Chemical Bank, HSBC and Barclays have shaped his straightforward and down-to-earth approach to lending.

Huw will consult with our clients to deliver the high quality, transparent service on which our reputation is built, to deliver the outcomes our clients need. He is another of our hands-on relationship managers, who like to get on site and understand a client’s vision, as they look for short-term property finance for bridging, refurbishment and development deals.

Huw’s ability to identify and structure the right funding solutions, will help to get deals done on the terms first agreed. And when Huw is away from the office, family and rugby play a big part in his life.

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Bob Stones

Relationship Manager

Bob is a well-known figure within the industry in the East of England area which he covers for Signature. He spent 27 years in the region as a Real Estate Finance Manager for NatWest and 5 years as a Relationship Manager for Together, with extensive experience working with house builders, commercial developers, residential and commercial property investors, and individual buy-to-let landlords.

He will work closely with brokers and intermediaries to tailor short-term property finance solutions to suit the individual needs of their clients and is always happy to make site visits across Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and the North East, to get a true understanding of investment and development potential.

In his spare time, Bob is a keen pianist and particularly fond of boogie-woogie and old-time music hall busking. His long-term ambition is to buy some land in Lapland and build his own log cabin to view the Northern Lights from.

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Paul Tromans

National Sales Director

Paul is our National Sales Director and is based in the Midlands. What he doesn’t know about lending money to buy and develop property is not really worth knowing. He has more than 30 years’ lending experience after a long career in management positions with UK and International Banks, together with other short-term property finance businesses.

As the head of the UK sales team, his roles is to connect with those developers across the UK seeking ground-up development finance. He’ll also be connecting with property developers, investors and finance brokers to ensure they understand our low bridging rates, fast decisions and high-quality customer service.

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Nazia Yaqub

Client Relationship Executive

With more than 14 years’ experience in various banking roles, including leading a team as an assistant branch manager on the high street, Nazia possesses extensive finance sector experience. Nazia works within the core of our business which is our Lending Team, ensuring a smooth and efficient process from enquiry to completion.

She understands the importance of schedules and deadlines for all our customers, irrespective of loan size. Nazia is passionate about customer service and liaises with brokers and clients daily, understanding each client’s needs whilst strengthening our commitment to delivering excellent customer service.

In her spare time when Nazia is not working she is probably reading/writing or watching documentaries. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends.