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Puma Property Finance has announced the appointment of Louise Gillon as its new director, head of hotels.
Gillon joins from Leumi UK, where she has held the position of head of hotel finance for the past 16 years.
Puma stated that she was instrumental in guiding clients through some of the industry’s toughest times during the pandemic, and in navigating the changing landscape that followed.
The business also stated that this newly established role reflects the “continued growth ambitions” of Puma.
In May, Puma announced a strategic partnership with Madison International Realty, which will enable Puma to build a seed loan portfolio for the fund of over £150m as part of targeting an overall fundraise of over £350m.
Paul Frost, managing director of Puma Property Finance, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Louise to the team. Her experience and deep knowledge of the hospitality sector will be invaluable as we look to increase our exposure to this attractive asset class.
“The launch of our new debt fund series, on the back of our strategic partnership with Madison, gives us access to further attractively-priced, flexible capital to support our growing client base. We are excited to be investing in our senior squad as we enter this next phase of growth for the business.”
Gillon added: “I am thrilled to be joining Puma at such an exciting time for the business, particularly as there is so much potential to deepen our funding of the hotel space. We are optimistic about the UK hotel sector, which continues to evolve through ongoing investments in refurbishment and repositioning of assets to maximise their trading potential.
“Additionally, the sector is increasingly embracing innovative technological solutions to enhance profitability and improve the customer experience, all while focusing on creating environmentally sustainable and resilient properties.”
