The firm said the appointment marks the “next stage” of its expansion into Europe and comes after recent hires to spearhead origination in Spain and Ireland and its £2bn partnership with Blackstone.
Güntner joins from 777 Financial Advisors, based in Frankfurt, where he worked in debt advisory for around two years.
Prior to that, he was head of debt advisory, also in Frankfurt, in REESCA for around a year. Before that, he was a director at Laurus Property Partners for around four years.
Güntner also spent around eight years at Deutsche Bank, most recently as vice president for structured finance organisation and real estate financing.
Ciaran Singh, Pluto Finance’s managing director for Europe, said: “Max’s arrival is another important milestone in our European growth strategy. Having established a strong presence in the UK, we have begun replicating this success across Ireland, Iberia, and can now extend this to Germany and the Netherlands.
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“These are deep real estate markets where flexible credit solutions are in demand. Max’s combination of transaction experience, a pan-European perspective, and trusted network of borrower and investor relationships will be central to our ability to build momentum quickly. His appointment underlines our commitment to attracting the strongest talent to lead our expansion.”
Güntner added: “Pluto has an impressive track record in the UK, built on a reputation for pragmatism, speed of execution and a borrower-first approach. These qualities resonate strongly with mid-market and institutional borrowers across Europe, where demand for alternative real estate credit continues to grow.
“I am excited to help bring this successful model to Germany and the Netherlands, where I see significant opportunities across both residential and commercial markets. With Pluto’s strong investor backing and established expertise, I am confident we can build a long-term, sustainable lending business in these regions. I look forward to working with Ciaran and the wider team to deliver on this vision.”
The firm said the hire strengthened its ability to deploy capital in key European markets and comes after several recent hires. These include Shane Ryan, who joined to focus on Ireland, and Eduardo Martin, who was hired to serve the Spanish and Portuguese markets.
Pluto Finance has lent over £3.5bn in loans across 300 transactions in the UK since its inception.
