He joins as the lender attempts to grow its new build funding proposition.
Magnet Capital launched in 2018 and is one of the only lenders in the market to specialise in new build development finance with a focus on smaller projects ranging for one to 12 units.
Earlier this year, the development finance lender said it intended to hire additional staff both on its operations and sales sides, it also announced a new website to speed up its application process.
The lender offers finance to projects looking for funding of £2m or below, in the belief the area is under served by other lenders.
Ashley Ilsen, chief executive of Magnet Capital, said the team were committed to improving the quality of lending to smaller development finance projects.
He said: “As we grow as a lender it’s vital that our originations team are able to sufficiently service our broker partners. Despite the many challenges ahead in the housing market, we’re still seeing excellent demand for our specialist services as we continue to provide fast and flexible development finance to the poorly serviced smaller end of the market.”
Lesslie said: “I’m delighted to be joining a lender with a reputation for delivering a high quality finance product. I can’t wait to get stuck in and learn more about the specialist lending industry.”