Our team

Edward is CEO of MERA IM and has been an active real estate lender in the UK since 2007, completing over £700m of real estate transactions. He is one of the 4 voting members of the credit committee and a board director.

‍

His primary role is to grow our core lending department, create new business lines and build talented teams.

‍

Edward started his career at HBOS plc in 2007 in the real estate corporate banking mid-markets team. He went on to join Bank of London & The Middle East plc (BLME) in 2009 where he was one of the most active real estate development lenders in London.

‍

Edward moved to Topland Group in 2012, one of the UKs largest privately owned investment groups. Whilst at Topland, Edward deployed £450m of capital across +60 loans, secured against a wide variety of assets valued in excess of £750m.

Antony Iannaccone is Chief Investment Officer at MErRA Investment Management, where he is responsible for investment strategy, portfolio oversight and the development of the firm’s joint venture (JV) proposition. He brings more than 25 years of experience across real estate lending, structured finance and property development, with a career spanning merchant banks, private equity and operating platforms.

‍

Before joining Mera, Antony was Director of Structured Finance at Topland, where he led preferred equity, senior debt, mezzanine and JV transactions across residential, healthcare, mixed-use, planning-led and hotel assets in London and established UK regions. He structured and executed complex partnerships, including large-scale prime residential developments and alternative social housing portfolios.

‍

Previously, Antony held senior lending roles at Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander, where he was instrumental in supporting the bank’s restructuring and work-out strategy following the global financial crisis. He managed complex, mixed-asset portfolios across the UK and overseas, delivering solutions in both consensual and challenging environments.

‍

Across his career, Antony has overseen more than £700 million ofGDV in joint venture projects and deployed over £400 million of capital into senior and mezz positions. He is known for his strategic, hands-on leadership style and for building resilient platforms, strong relationships and long-term value.

‍

Alasdair manages MERA IM’s credit risk and is one of the 4 voting members of the credit committee. He is a property lender with over 20 years experience in senior management, origination and credit roles.

At MERA IM, James works on the origination and execution of new structured finance opportunities across multiple sectors and locations.

‍

James joined the team from a Real Estate credit investment manager focused on development finance strategies. He was responsible for originating and underwriting tailored facilities for residential developers across the UK. Prior to this, James worked in Real Estate asset management where he was responsible for managing the property portfolios of UK and international private UHNW clients.

‍

James holds a BSc Honours Degree in Real Estate from the University of Reading.

Leo is responsible for the origination, underwriting and closing of senior loans at MERA. Having previously worked at Commercial Acceptances for 8 years, part of Close Brothers Group, a FTSE 250 Bank, Leo has a detailed understanding the entire lending process across multiple real estate sectors. Prior to CA, Leo worked within the Structured Finance team, part of the Treasury Department, which was responsible for wholesale funding, having joined on the bank's school leaver scheme.

During his time at CA, Leo progressed to be become a Senior Lending Manager, responsible for full cradle-to-grave management of a senior short term and development loan book. During that time he originated in excess of £250,000,000 of lending. 

‍

Prabhat (Prabh) is part of the origination team and also manages our existing loan portfolio.

‍

Prabh started his career in 2018 at Aspen Bridging as a Graduate underwriter and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Senior underwriter and Loans Manager. At Aspen, his primary focus was on origination, deal execution, and portfolio management. He later worked for Pluto Finance in 2022, an institutionally funded private debt fund specialising in development finance and providing bridging and investment facilities. At Pluto, his primary responsibilities included credit underwriting and deal execution.

‍

Prabh is CFA Level 1 qualified, holds a BSc (Hons) in Finance from Aston University, and has a Level 3 certificate in Investment and Securities from CISI.

Raj is Director of Portfolio Management, Capital and Reporting at MERA, responsible for overseeing portfolio performance, capital deployment, and investor reporting.

A Chartered Accountant since 2010, having trained at Dixon Wilson, working with high-net-worth families, trusts, and businesses. He then joined Topland Group, one of the UK’s largest privately owned investment groups, where he played a pivotal role in building and scaling its lending platform. At Topland, Raj was instrumental in developing the financial models, internal processes, and reporting frameworks that supported the platform’s growth and operational success.

With over a decade of experience in real estate finance, financial modelling, and portfolio management, Raj brings a proven track record of scaling platforms, optimising portfolio performance, and delivering robust financial reporting.

‍

Paul has over 20 years’ experience in European real estate and finance.  He qualified as an accountant in 2003 and as a chartered surveyor in 2018 and has worked for a number of institutional investment managers across key European markets.

He is responsible for all financial and operational aspects of MERA IM.

Paul has a strong financial background and has held senior positions at a number of dynamic organisations, beginning his career at Somerset House before enjoying spells at significant real estate institutions including, CBRE, Cromwell, Fidelity, M&G and LaSalle Investment Management.  He spent seven years with SEGRO as Finance Director for the SELP portfolio where he was responsible for building the finance function in Luxembourg and overseeing a substantial portfolio of logistics assets.  Paul has provided input into numerous large scale real estate projects and managed and developed finance teams across a number of key markets.

‍

He has operated from a number of key European locations including London, Paris, Luxembourg and Germany and supported the management and growth of pan-European real estate portfolios.

Caron is responsible for strategically and effectively managing MERA IM’s presence in the market, and the communication of our vision to our stakeholders and investors. Her network and understanding of the industry plays an important part in our growth ambitions.

‍

Formerly the managing director of a prominent B2B property finance publishing company, Caron has been immersed in the world of broker, lender, and client marketing and communications for 13 years

‍

She has launched and run a trade show, several websites and countless marketing campaigns within the real estate lending market, and co-created the Bridging & Commercial Magazine, widely considered the best in its class.

‍

Her extensive experience traverses the residential, commercial and development sectors, encompassing a diverse range of asset classes.  

‍

Caron is the founder of Long Storey Short, a specialist property finance PR and marketing consultancy.

Frank is one of the most experienced property finance business leaders in the UK.

‍

He has led a distinguished career in banking and finance and provides strategic guidance and oversight to MERA and it’s board of directors, drawing on the experiences gained from his 19-year tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the Close Brothers Property Finance Division (part of Close Brothers Group Plc a FTSE 250 Company).

‍

Frank was instrumental in guiding the bank through numerous market cycles, demonstrating his strong commitment to leadership, unwavering customer service, and adherence to core values.  He was instrumental in growing the loan book from £150m to £1.7bn and the company has become well regarded to be best in the market for service driven operation.  

‍

After nearly three decades of service, Frank retired from Close Brothers in December 2023 and joined MERA as Non-Executive Chairman. He is responsible for leading the board’s strategic growth plans, including acquiring new talent, building new departments and broadening the capital base.

Jan provides oversight and guidance on the strategic corporate decisions, advising on growth and M&A opportunities and guiding the company to increase it’s shareholder value.

‍

Jan is acknowledged as one of the top UK entrepreneurs. She has successfully owned and operated a large number of businesses in sectors as diverse as property investment and development, restaurants, motor retailing, nutrition and wellness, financial services and publishing. Jan has also held a number of non-executive director positions in both financial services and media companies. Currently, she holds chairman or director roles in UK and US based companies.

‍

Jan has a strong track record of helping to steer growth, developing investment strategies and overseeing both M&A activity and corporate governance. Jan was awarded an OBE for Services to Industry in 1997 and named Veuve Clicquot British Business Woman of the Year in 1994. She was also an appointed Government advisor as a member of The UK Secretary of State for Business Entrepreneur's Forum (BIS) in 2010.

‍

www.janfletcher.com

Neil brings strategic and financial expertise to the board of Directors. He has held chief executive, financial director and non-executive director roles in: commercial and residential property development, commercial property investment, financial services and motor retailing. Neil is an approved ‘Controlled Person’ with the Financial Conduct Authority.

‍