Get to know… The Black & White Bridging Team
In the third in our new series of ‘meet the team’ blogs, we caught up with team member Oli Bland to hear more about his role and what life is like for him at Black & White Bridging.
How long have you been at Black & White Bridging and what is your role?
I have been here for almost 2 and a half years now, joining during the midst of the pandemic when a change of scenery from a locked-down London was much required! I am the director of lending and oversee all underwriting, working with funders, originators, and post completion servicing.
How did you first get into property lending?
I had a very good opportunity as a university graduate back in 2014 and joined West One as the first graduate. It provided me with great exposure to a successful business and showed me just what was capable, I saw it early in its trajectory within the specialist lending space and I hope to emulate a similar path with Black & White Bridging.
What is the best thing about your role, and why?
Constantly dealing with different situations and having to engage my problem-solving skills on a near daily basis. Clients don’t use specialist finance, which is a more expensive product, unless there are quirks to a transaction, so it is an integral trait in succeeding within the industry.
What motivates you?
Building something towards an ambitious goal. The route taken is constantly shifting however the target remains the same, I like to take on challenges if there is a potentially amazing upside. I want to build Black & White to a market leading position within the products we currently offer and those within the pipeline currently under development. When that is done, I would like to try my hand at something else potentially… we shall see.
If you weren’t Director of Lending at Black & White Bridging, what would you like to be?
Research Scientist/Archaeologist. The aspects of education which I found most interesting have always been math, the sciences and history. If I was not doing this, I would like to be involved in something more technical, however if I want to be free, I need to achieve financial freedom first…
What separates Black & White Bridging from other lenders?
I think that we take an approach to deals which is always focused on finding a pathway to completing the deal as opposed to finding a reason to say no. We can get comfortable with assets others will simply not even look at; we can take different forms of security to mitigate certain risks. We approach everything like a problem to be solved, whether the solution is something the client wants to proceed with is up to them.
When you’re not at work, what are you most likely to be doing?
I love to travel, eat, drink, workout, read, learn… Basically, what the rest of us are all doing!
What are three things you can’t live without?
Family, Learning, Freedom
If you’d like to discuss anything further with Oli or have any questions, you can reach out to him via email at oli.bland@blackandwhitebridging.co.uk or call on 0117 937 4333
