Chat to a team member

Your loan.
It’s out there.

Delivering complex loans takes experience. Together, Octane’s management have lent over £4 billion on over three thousand loans.
Experience delivers.

Octane Capital was launched in May 2017 by a highly experienced team.

Jonathan Samuels, Mark Posniak, Matt Smith and Robert Graham were the Senior Management Team behind a successful specialist lender prior to launching Octane. It was here, at Dragonfly Property Finance, where they lent over £2 billion together.

Octane was founded to do things differently: our products are designed to help brokers and their clients where other lenders may fall short.

We have an appetite for the market’s most complex cases, we aren’t constrained by rigid criteria and always approach deals with the view to making them work.

Since launch, we have lent over £1.5 billion across more than two thousand different loans.

Experience delivers.

“We look at each application from the widest possible view. We believe this is how specialist lending should be. We look at deals holistically and come up with a truly bespoke solution. ”

Jonathan Samuels, CEO, Octane Capital
Our core values

CERTAINTY

Our team live and breathe lending. We aim to be crystal clear. We know how much certainty means to you. When we say 'yes', we mean 'yes'.

EXPERIENCE

Over the years we've completed some of the industry's most tricky loans. Between us we've lent well over £4bn across more than 3,000 loans.

ACCESS

We're by your side each step of the way. Just pick up the phone and talk directly to the people who make the decisions.

FLEXIBILITY

Ultra-bespoke lending is where we're making waves.
Our loans are adapted to your needs. Never the other way around.

Meet the team
Jonathan Samuels Jonathan Samuels

Jonathan Samuels

Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan was at the forefront of the bridging industry's revival when he launched Dragonfly Property Finance back in 2009.

At that time, most lenders were rushing out of the water.

Jonathan, by contrast, headed further out and used the lending vacuum left in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis to offer a genuine alternative to the high-street banks.

The lender he created went on to fund more than any other bridging lender in history. This led to him being awarded the Bridging and Commercial Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Bridging' 2015.

He's now out to create waves again.

Email Jonathan

Matt Smith Matt Smith

Matt Smith

Director of Credit and Risk

Over the past 25 years Matt has been at the head of credit teams at multiple lenders including GE Capital, Money Partners, Dragonfly Property Finance and more recently Octopus Property.

It was at Dragonfly where he was the proud head of a team with a 0.1% default ratio and more than £2bn lent.

Never one to tread water, Matt works with borrowers to get them the finance they need, and ahead of deadline.

Email Matt

Robert Graham Robert Graham

Robert Graham

Head of Finance

Robert started his finance career at Deloitte where he spent 5 years before he joined Octopus Investments in 2010 within the finance team supporting early stage investee businesses. It was here that he worked alongside the Octane management team as he built the finance and reporting function for Dragonfly over the next 6 years. He then joined M&G Real Estate to oversee pricing and control of the Retail and Institutional UK Property funds with NAVs in excess of £8bn.

Robert joined Octane at the outset in 2017 as part of the management team, once again building out the financial controls, processes and reporting. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Email Robert

Alex Tyrwhitt (MRICS) Alex Tyrwhitt (MRICS)

Alex Tyrwhitt (MRICS)

Director of Structured Finance

Alex joined from HSBC where he worked in the UK Corporate Real Estate team, acting as a relationship director for, among others, three of the bank’s 10 largest European real estate clients with £1bn of loans under management with significant experience in arranging/executing numerous loans, from £5m to £100m and beyond.

Prior to HSBC, he worked for GE Capital Real Estate both on the direct investment and lending sides of the business, underwriting and executing equity investment and development projects and new finance deals. 

Alex is a chartered surveyor and was a RICS-registered valuer having qualified at Lambert Smith Hampton where he started his career prior to GE Capital.

In short, he has worked across multiple property disciplines (equity, debt, consultancy) and has a deep understanding of and passion for property.

 

Email Alex

 

Richard Deacon Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon

Managing Director (Sales)

Richard has worked in financial services since 1997 and in the specialist finance sector for over 20 years.

He is best known as being instrumental in taking Masthaven through their journey from a niche non-regulated bridging lender to being one of the UK’s most respected specialist banks, which diversified into residential and BTL mortgages as well as development finance.

He has in depth professional knowledge which he is always keen to share with everyone to attain the best outcome for both client and introducer.

Richard leads the Sales Team and manages some key broker relationships.

Email Richard

Josh Knight Josh Knight

Josh Knight

Sales and Marketing Director

Josh has 10+ years’ experience in managing intermediary relationships, across both private equity and property finance.

He joined Octane from Mariana Capital, where he led the Sales Team, and prior to that he worked at Octopus Investments where he managed intermediary relationships in London.

Josh is responsible for co-managing the Sales Team, managing some key broker relationships and overseeing the company’s marketing.

Email Josh

Justin Cooper Justin Cooper

Justin Cooper

Senior Business Development Manager

Justin first joined the specialist lending industry in 2013 when Jonathan and Mark recruited him into Dragonfly as a BDM, after 20 years in the Financial Services industry.

His excellent relationship building skills quickly enabled him to settle in and before long he was soon seen as the “go to man” for Bridging deals introduced from a wide panel of brokers across the South of England.

In 2016 Justin was recognised as the BDM of the year at the prestigious Bridging & Commercial Awards and he went on to be responsible for over £500m worth of lending before joining back up with the team at Octane Capital.

Email Justin

Francesca Woodhouse Francesca Woodhouse

Francesca Woodhouse

Senior Business Development Manager

Francesca has 15+ year’s experience in the finance industry, having primarily worked for HSBC and Clydesdale Bank before joining Octane Capital in 2018.

She has a proven track record of excellent communication and relationship building skills, always striving to achieve the highest standard, with client focus and delivery being a priority. Francesca's Octane broker relationships have been forged by her dedication to this service and delivery.

 

Email Francesca

Shrena Patel Shrena Patel

Shrena Patel

Senior Business Development Manager

Shrena has been in the property finance sector for over 15 years, starting her career at Barclays and worked for several High Street banks in between including Santander for 9 years. Shrena then moved on to a challenger bank as a BDM for Shawbrook looking after the Top brokers in London and the South East.

Shrena Joined octane Capital in March 2020 as a Senior BDM for London and South East with the challenge to increase and grow broker engagement in the area.

Her vast experience working with Key introducers and structuring property deals has been highlighted with the completion of Octanes Largest loan in 2021.

Email Shrena

Mark Stephenson Mark Stephenson

Mark Stephenson

Business Development Manager

Mark has been working in specialist finance for 10 years. He started his career with Borro, lending on luxury assets, before moving into property with Castle Trust.

He relishes problem solving meaning he is well placed to deal with our wide-open criteria and the smorgasbord of enquiries that Octane attracts.

Email Mark

John Smith John Smith

John Smith

Business Development Manager

John has been in the financial services industry for 24 years, holding roles across the banking and specialist lending sector. He was instrumental in the launch and early success of Bluestone Mortgages, as well as launching the successful residential and BTL proposition at Masthaven Bank.

John has an in-depth understanding of the borrowing cycle which allows him to provide creative lending solutions for his brokers.

Email John

Lee Warne Lee Warne

Lee Warne

Business Development Manager

Lee’s career in the property finance sector began in 2015. He joined Octane from Shawbrook Bank where he spent nearly 9 years and held a variety of positions – across governance, underwriting and sales. His most recent position in the firm was Head of Internal Sales where he managed a team of 10 Internal Business Development Managers.

Lee enjoys managing relationships his brokers, ensuring they receive the best possible service.

Email Lee

Mike Allen Mike Allen

Mike Allen

Internal Business Development Manager

Mike begun his career in the Property finance Sector as an apprentice at the age of 18 for a local broker. He then moved on to a mortgage network, where he became a Business Standard Associate working alongside 100 new and experienced brokers supporting them with their compliance.

Mike then moved into the specialist mortgage industry where he joined Brightstar and formed part of their award-winning Short-Term lending team working as a Case Manager.

Since joining Octane in 2021, Mike has used his knowledge to support the external sales team, with him always looking to generate and grow existing relationships.

Email Mike

Darren Pointer Darren Pointer

Darren Pointer

Internal Business Development Manager

Darren started his career in specialist mortgages in 2003, when he joined a mortgage packager specialising in complex BTL. Over the last 20 years, he has held a number of positions within broker firms; most recently as a Broker Support Manager for Brilliant Solutions, where he mainly dealt with specialist BTL, 2ndcharges, bridging and commercial.

In 2023 he joined Octane as an Internal Business Development Manager. Darren is responsible for providing telephone-based support to Octane’s brokers.

Email Darren