The firm said it aimed to double its loan book in 2026 to £200m and had recently surpassed the £100m loan book milestone.
Leo del Rosso will become an associate director, with Alasdair Houghton joining as chief risk officer. Frank Pennal will become the non-executive chairperson.
Del Rosso was most recently at Commercial Acceptances Limited for around eight years, most recently as senior lending manager. Before that, he was a structured finance analyst at Close Brothers for around a year.
Houghton also joins from Commercial Acceptances Limited, where he worked for nearly a year. Before that, he was a relationship director at Cynergy Bank for around a year. He has also held senior roles at Atelier Capital Partners and Bank Leumi.
Pennal has been a non-executive director at Mera Investment Manager since 2024, and before that worked at Close Brothers from 2005. He is currently a non-executive at Macar Homes and a strategic adviser at Pluto.
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His appointment as a non-executive chair “underscores Mera’s momentum as it targets significant growth over the next 12 months, supported by a strengthened senior leadership team”.
Edward Matthews, Mera Investment Management’s CEO, said: “Frank has been instrumental in shaping Mera’s growth strategy over the past 18 months. I am delighted he is taking on the role of chairman. His experience, market insight and long-standing sector relationships make him the ideal person to support the next phase of our growth and development.”
Matthews added: “Leo and Alasdair bring exceptional sector knowledge and leadership experience. Their appointments significantly strengthen our origination, underwriting and risk management capabilities as we work towards doubling our loan book and supporting an expanding range of high-quality property projects across the UK.”
Pennal added: “Mera has built a strong reputation for quality and rigorous underwriting, underpinned by deep market expertise. I would like to thank Jan for her exceptional leadership as chairman over the past three years. Her steady guidance and support in building the team have been instrumental in steering the business to its current profitable position.
“I’m excited to step into the chairman role and look forward to working closely with Edward and the team, as we continue to build momentum into 2026 and beyond, delivering value for both borrowers and capital partners and advancing the company’s next phase of growth.”
