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Meet the team

Our team has over 100 years of real estate experience sourced from senior roles at leading international financial institutions, and with its connections to the board of the Sydney & London Properties Group, provides access to many more decades of real estate and lending knowledge and expertise. Their expertise spans finance, credit, risk management, and real estate across global markets.

Andy Armstrong

Non-executive Chairman

Andy sits on the credit committee at Fast & Flexible Lending International, and brings vast banking knowledge and experience to the business, having spent 43 years at HSBC. He operated in the areas of Corporate Banking, Credit and Risk, and Real Estate in the UK, Europe and Middle East, and latterly as Global Vice Chairman Corporate Real Estate. He joined the Board of the Sydney & London Properties Group in 2021 and was appointed as Chairman of the Board in 2024.

Simon Childs

Director

Simon has worked in commercial property for over 30 years including senior finance roles with Olympic & York Developments during the development of Canary Wharf and Slough Estates Plc. Simon was appointed as Finance Director of Sydney & London Properties in 1996 and subsequently Group Finance Director in 1998 before becoming Chief Executive in April 2019. In his role at Fast & Flexible Lending International, Simon is a director and sits on the company’s credit committee.

David Gross

Director

David achieved an MBA in 2015 and has a decade of experience in project management and multi-jurisdictional operations, and acts as a consultant to the Sydney & London Properties Group. David is a director of Fast & Flexible Lending and, being resident in Israel, has a primary focus is utilising his extensive business network and contacts in Israel to source opportunities for lending secured on Israeli properties.

Rhys Hughes

Director

Rhys qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2012, and spent seven years with a large independent accountancy practice before moving into industry in 2016. He was previously the Group Finance Director of a prominent South Wales construction group. He is now Finance Director of the Sydney & London Properties Group, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the finance function. In his role at Fast & Flexible Lending International, Rhys is a director and sits on the company’s credit committee.

Case studies

Mezzanine

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A mezzanine loan to sit behind a £8.5M development loan to an experienced developer to successfully build a 60-house development in Lincolnshire.…

Development bridge

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A bridging loan provided to an experienced developer with a proven track record, secured on a parcel of land with full, unconditional…

Refinance bridge

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Participated as the principal mezzanine lender, alongside an experienced senior lender, to provide a £15,000,000 bridging loan to a highly reputable and…