In a statement, the company said that ‘the appointment will broaden and strengthen Hilltop’s investment management platform and leverage its in-house technology-driven loan underwriting platform, Hilltop Credit Stream, to capitalise on the unprecedented opportunities within private real estate credit that are expected within the next 24 months across both UK and Mainland Europe’.  
 
With more than a decade of experience in real estate principal finance for two major investment banks, Gheorghita joins from Nomura’s Real Estate and Securitised Products division, where he was spearheading the value-add and opportunistic principal finance business, covering all asset classes within all major European countries. Before Nomura, he was at Macquarie, responsible for originating and underwriting debt and equity real estate transactions across UK and Mainland Europe.
 
Claudiu Gheorghita, CIO of Hilltop Credit Partners, commented: ‘I’m joining Hilltop with a clear objective of expanding the business operations across asset classes and gradually developing the platform across Europe. Supporting housing delivery remains a key focus of our business, and I am looking forward to providing liquidity to competent developers in locations with strong fundamentals. Due to the current market conditions caused by the shift in interest rates and geopolitical factors, we see an immediate need for flexible capital that can facilitate the start of new developments or that can help stabilise and complete existing ones.’
 
Hilltop Credit Stream, Hilltop’s real estate credit funding and management platform launched in August 2022, and has generated over £1 bn of SME residential development loan applications during its first four months.