Robert Finch
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since March 23, 2022
Robert has worked in real estate finance since 2006, sourcing finance for commercial real estate acquisitions and construction projects. He has worked on more than 110 transactions, sourcing more than £1.5 billion in financing. Robert's strengths lie in financial modeling and understanding the key factors in each real estate transaction. He has experience with residential projects, rented commercial properties, and operating assets, such as hotels.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- Cash Flow Modeling
- Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF)
- Data Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Fundraising Consultant
- Pitch Deck Consultant
- Project Finance
Work Experience
Director
Sativa Finance Ltd
- Assisted a real estate developer in expanding their project pipeline from £20 million per year to £60 million+ by sourcing new senior debt and a junior debt investor. Built the financial models and compiled the presentations for potential funders.
- Helped a commercial property investor restructure a complex loan on a property with 56 separate commercial leases. Modeled the tenancy schedule and sourced a new £18 million loan, enabling the refinance and acquisition of an adjacent property.
- Sourced a senior debt facility for a land acquisition company, enabling expansion of its acquisition pipeline. Since the funding was sourced, they've obtained planning consent for 7,000+ student rooms across nine site acquisitions in the UK.
- Provided financial modeling and structuring advice on a mixed-use real estate project with an end value of £330 million. My advice and project presentation led to improved finance terms and saved the client £2.5 million in finance costs.
- Provided market data and analysis on 120+ providers of real estate bridging and development finance in the UK for a proptech company. The information enabled the company to expand its subscription base by over 20%.
Pitch Deck Expert
Temple Property Management Limited
- Produced a pitch deck to assist the client with their first €10 million equity raise for their real estate acquisitions.
- Assisted with the property model to optimize the funding structure for their acquisitions.
- Provided research and information on the UK and Ireland real estate finance market for a residential real estate company.
Real Estate Finance Consultant
Malvern Developments Ltd
- Sourced debt and equity finance to help an experienced contractor transition from contracting into managing their own development projects. The first acquisition returned a £1.5 million+ profit from their initial personal investment of £200,000.
- Sourced senior debt terms from multiple lending sources, totaling £30 million+ to support the construction of a pipeline of residential real estate projects in the UK.
- Sourced a third-party investor to support acquisitions, enabling the client to acquire larger projects and significantly improve their ROE.
Real Estate Finance Consultant
IndigoScott Group Ltd
- Served as a retained finance consultant to provide financial modeling on all indigoScott projects and acquisitions. They acquired 16 residential development sites with a combined end value of £200 million+ during this time.
- Modeled and sourced funding for a complex, mixed-use project that involved the acquisition of three neighboring land plots, two planning applications, and five different funding sources.
- Sourced funding from a high-net-worth investor, offering competitive leverage and pricing secured across two separate projects. This involved combining two financial models, negotiating terms, and working with their team of lawyers and surveyors.
Structured Finance Consultant
CLP Structured Finance
- Consulted and oversaw business development, helping CLP record its best-ever year by arranging £2 billion+ in commercial real estate debt transactions across the UK and Europe.
- Worked closely with two institutional lenders to launch a structured loan product that helped save commercial property owners around 2% on their initial debt costs while maximizing the leverage.
- Headed up a team expanding into Eastern European markets, securing new banking and real estate contacts in the region.
Financial Adviser
Devere Group
- Built a loyal client base of high-net-worth investors, providing financial modeling and investment advice to assist in achieving their long-term financial goals.
- Increased recurring revenue by working with a team of assistants to improve the business development and client onboarding processes.
- Brought my previous financial markets experience to the role, helping customers mitigate exchange rate risks when saving and investing in foreign currencies.
Money Market Broker
Tullett Prebon
- Assisted with financial modeling of money market fund returns and helped secure £40 million+ in additional monthly investments from treasury departments of local authorities around the UK.
- Helped restructure complex, long-term loan commitments with embedded swaps and options for certain UK councils to reduce their borrowing costs.
- Completed a wholesale markets broking diploma with distinction, covering option pricing, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, and other areas of financial markets, lending, and brokerage.
Education
Diploma in Finance
Birkbeck, University of London - London, England, UK
Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics
The University of Nottingham - Nottingham, England, UK
Certifications
Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP)
London Institute of Banking & Finance
Skills
Finance
Financial Modeling, Fundraising, Project Finance, Cash Flow Modeling, Cash Flow Calculation, Secured Loans, Cash Flow Forecasting, Forecasting, Debt Structuring, Financial Reporting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Revenue & Expense Projections, Debt, Debt Raises, Data Analysis, Cost of Capital, Commercial Finance, Projected Cash Flow, Three-statement Modeling, Fund Structure, Structuring of Funds, Market Research, Seed Fundraising, Interest Rate Swaps, Commercial Mortgage-backed Securities (CMBS), Money Market
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Industry Expertise
Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, Real Estate Development, Construction, Venture Capital, Financial Markets
Geographic Expertise
United Kingdom, United States, Eastern Europe, Ireland
Data & Analysis Software
Financial Data
Other
Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF), Fundraising Consultant, Finance, Excel 365, Client Relations, Financing, Funding Presentations, Investor Presentations, Loans & Lending, Pitch Decks, Executive Presentations, Consulting, Excel Modeling, Excel Expert, Pitch Deck Consultant, Pitch Presentations, Fundraising Strategy, Statistical Modeling, Public Speaking, Project Coordination, Mortgages, Content Creation, Mortgage-backed Securities, Investment Modeling, Investment Analysis, Investments, Deal Structuring, Data, Proptech, Business Plan Consulting, Business Planning, Startups, Investor Relations, Business Models, Term Sheet Advisory, Econometrics, Option Pricing, Broker Dealers, Bloomberg Terminal, Pension Funds, Investment Ideas, Legal
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