Megan Andreou

What are your career ambitions?

What’s the most interesting deal you have worked on?

This scheme takes into account the environmental pressures of society and it’s therefore forward-thinking and representative of deals that we’ll likely see more frequently in the future. Since this is the first green deal that I have worked on, I have found it particularly intriguing

What advice would you give to somebody looking to enter the sector?

When I first joined Paragon I had just left university and had to get up to speed quite quickly with the wider industry and Paragon’s ways of working. Fortunately, I had a great team around me and plenty of resources to make this as seamless as possible. I would advise anyone entering this sector to be curious and inquisitive because understanding how the company operates improves your ability to carry out your daily tasks.

Also, it is important to be approachable and friendly so that there is a good relationship and level of communication between you and your colleagues.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

Jess Pilkington

Can you tell us a bit about your career background to date?

Monitoring surveyors is one of the key professionals that we work with daily, and my prior experience has proved invaluable during my time at Paragon as it has provided me with a strong background knowledge of the development process. This ranges from demolition through to practical completion, which assists me in my daily interactions with both our professionals and clients.

What attracted you to the development finance/property sector?

The junior portfolio manager role at Paragon stood out to me as I felt I could apply the knowledge I had gained from project monitoring and utilise this in the finance sector whilst also remaining close to development.

What is your main focus at Paragon and what do you enjoy about the role?

As a portfolio manager at Paragon my main focus is to ensure the smooth running of each loan throughout its life cycle. This includes completion of detailed loan due diligence, efficient processing of monthly drawdowns and handling the repayment of each loan.

I enjoy working at Paragon as I am part of a high performing team with knowledgeable individuals who have enhanced my experience throughout my time at Paragon by sharing their knowledge with me. I enjoy the wide-ranging nature of the job, from my interactions with key parties through to the variety of tasks required of me daily. Ultimately, no two schemes are the same meaning every day is different, however, the end result is always rewarding when we see our clients complete a scheme.

Gaining experience of modular construction now will put me in good stead for future deals of a similar nature and for the development of my knowledge on alternative construction methods. On our current deal, the modular units are due to be delivered to site shortly and I am looking forward to seeing how the scheme develops over the next few months.

Lilly Sargeant

What attracted you to the development finance/property sector?

The experience and enthusiasm of the team left me feeling motivated to pursue a career in development finance and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to work for such an experienced and reliable bank.

What is your main focus at Paragon and what do you enjoy about the role?

My main focus is to provide our clients with an efficient and high standard of service throughout the life cycle of their loan by ensuring any requests and payments are dealt with promptly.

Every development is unique, and I enjoy being able to assist our clients in bringing great developments to life as it is very rewarding. I look forward to seeing the end product for some of the recent transactions I have supported on.

It is a pleasure to work with an experienced and knowledgeable team as I have learnt a lot since I joined and I am excited to progress and develop my understanding even further.

What advice would you give to somebody looking to enter the sector?

I would recommend trying to gain some industry experience or reach out to someone in the industry to get a more accurate idea of what the day to day looks like. Keeping up to date with key issues impacting the industry will help your understanding of the sector and help with good talking points when interviewing with potential employers.

I think it’s crucial to be selective and do your research on a company as this will help your understanding of the business and ensure you find a company which shares similar values to you.