Firms target improved underwriting, finance and operations with new appointments
Norton Home Loans and Morpheus have announced key senior appointments as both firms look to scale operations in a competitive lending market.
Norton Home Loans has promoted Laura Percival (pictured left) to head of lending. She will now lead the firm’s lending strategy and day-to-day underwriting operations, supporting brokers and ensuring complex borrower needs are met. Percival will also act as a central point of contact for broker feedback and help refine lending criteria.
With over a decade at the Norton group, Percival has worked across debt management, sales, and lending. She joined the lending team in 2018 and has since held roles including underwriter, team leader, lending manager, and most recently, servicing team manager.
Her appointment follows Norton’s recent partnership with digital broker Habito. The collaboration enables a select group of brokers to access Norton’s first-charge mortgage range through Habito’s pilot programme, which has already completed its first cases.
“Laura’s promotion is thoroughly deserved,” said Paul Stringer, director at Norton Finance. “She knows our business inside out, has built excellent relationships with intermediaries over the years, and brings both knowledge and empathy to the lending process.
“As we continue to expand our proposition, having someone like Laura at the helm of our lending team ensures we’re well placed to support brokers and deliver the best outcomes for their clients.”
Meanwhile, digital-only bridging lender Morpheus has also expanded its senior team with the appointments of Sonny Gohel as head of operations and Stuart Dunk (pictured right) as finance and treasury director.
The lender, which launched in May 2024, provides residential, commercial and light refurbishment bridging loans ranging from £50,000 to £750,000 for up to 18 months.
Gohel brings over 10 years of experience in specialist lending, most recently at KHK Capital, where he led underwriting and portfolio management across development and bridging finance.
Dunk joined Morpheus in March and previously served as group financial controller at US-based data firm Stats Perform. A qualified accountant from Deloitte, he brings expertise in finance, banking, treasury, and investor relations.
“Sonny brings with him a combination of 10-plus years’ experience and that very rare entrepreneurial drive businesses look for,” said Morpheus founder and chief executive Matt Mawdesley. “He is equally as ambitious as us, and we are excited to have him on the journey with us as we continue to scale and grow our business in the specialist lending space and beyond.
“Stu has been supporting us for over a year now, having known him since our time at The University of York together. His skillset, professionalism, and approach to providing the best possible service to our clients is exactly what Morpheus is all about.”
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