Sedulo strengthens property finance expertise with Tim Akin appointment
Sedulo has strengthened its London Debt Advisory team with the appointment of property finance specialist Tim Akin, as the business continues to grow its real estate and development finance work.
Tim joins with nearly a decade of experience across specialist lending and finance broking, with a particular focus on development finance, bridging and more complex property transactions. During his career, he has completed more than £70m of structured finance transactions, working with SME developers and property investors to secure funding for projects across the UK.
Sedulo Debt Advisory has been operating for more than 10 years and has sourced well over £1bn of funding for UK SMEs. The team has a combined 200+ years of banking and finance experience and works with businesses and property investors to find and secure funding from across the UK lending market.
Tim has worked on both sides of the property finance market. He was previously a business development manager at Octopus Real Estate, managing broker relationships across London and the South East, and a relationship manager at boutique residential development lender Pivot Finance.
Most recently, Tim worked as a self-employed real estate finance broker with Linkway Capital, advising developers and investors on their funding requirements. Among the deals he completed was a £5.5m development loan for an overseas developer delivering an eleven-unit luxury residential scheme in Chigwell, Essex.
“Tim is a great addition to the team and brings exactly the sort of experience we are looking for as we grow our property finance business,” said Leyton Jeffs, founder at Sedulo Debt Advisory, and chief revenue officer at the Sedulo Group.
“He has sat on both sides of the table, working for specialist lenders and advising developers and investors directly, so he knows what lenders are looking for and what it takes to get a deal structured and completed.
“Development finance is not always an easy market for SME developers to navigate. Tim knows the lenders, understands how they look at a deal and, importantly, knows how to get transactions over the line. We have ambitious plans for this part of the business and I’m really pleased to have him joining us.”
Tim Akin said: “I’m really pleased to be joining Sedulo and to have the opportunity to help grow the property finance side of the business. Working on both sides of the market has taught me what lenders need to see in a deal, but also where the frustrations can be for developers trying to get funding in place.
“What stood out to me about Sedulo was the strength of the team and the way they work with clients. There is a real focus on understanding the deal and what the client is trying to achieve before going out to the market. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience and lender relationships to the team and helping more developers and investors get the right funding in place.”
Tim holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Hertfordshire and a Level 4 Investment Advice Diploma (IAD) from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).