Social Housing

Grant leads Newbridge’s Funding Advisory team for social housing and infrastructure clients. From capital markets through to bank funding, it is Grant’s responsibility to ensure our clients are fully aware of their funding options, identify the most economically attractive funding and working with clients to successfully put this financing in place.

Areas of expertise:

• Bonds and private placements
• Bank RCF and term debt
• Legacy debt restructuring and redemptions
• Debt Advisory
• Broader lender negotiations

Grant has 14 years of commercial banking experience, focusing on debt capital markets funding for social housing and infrastructure clients. Grant most recently worked at Lloyds Bank as a director in the DCM team, helping to build a market leading social housing DCM business. Grant was also responsible for infrastructure finance in the capital markets, leading on a number of economic infrastructure transactions as well as more project specific transactions and PFI refinancings.

Prior to Lloyds Bank, Grant was at Barclays Capital for six years. Grant holds a Finance Honours degree from the University of Cape Town.

Chris Evans joined Newbridge in June 2020, having spent nearly 11 years at Lloyds Bank where he helped develop their Debt Capital Markets franchise. Alongside supporting clients with treasury activity, Chris leads our ESG and Impact services, ensuring our clients remain compliant with their obligations, and at the forefront of regulation and stakeholder expectation.

Areas of expertise:

• Sustainable finance
• Limited assurance and ongoing disclosure
• Investor relations
• Capital markets funding

Chris is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has a qualification in ESG Investing (CFA UK Level 4 Certificate).

Lee Gibson worked in outsourcing as divisional finance & commercial director for Atos, Serco and HP for 20 years prior to joining Bromford as Chief Finance Officer in 2016.

During Lee’s time in the private sector his commercial focus was on structuring large outsourcing transactions with Local Authorities and Central Government. Upon moving to Bromford Lee focused upon completing the 3-way merger of Bromford, Merlin and Severn Vale, restructuring £1bn of loans including Bromford’s first public bond combined with US & UK private placements and bank facilities, commencing the new homes build programme ramping up to over 1,000 home per annum, gaining the dual credit rating with S&P (A+) and Moody’s (A2), setting up Build Co and Development Co to allow for JVs to be appropriately managed and putting in place the ESG framework.

Lee holds a Finance honours degree and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Gows leads Newbridge’s Treasury Advisory team covering both Housing and Real Estate clients. He advises clients on a range of matters including fundraising, business planning, and treasury advisory. In short, Gows helps clients optimise their funding arrangements to better meet their strategic ambitions.

Areas of expertise:

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Treasury Risk Management
• Debt Advisory (inc. Fundraising)
• Ratings Advisory
• Business Planning

Gows brings over a decade of experience in Treasury, Consultancy and Risk Solutions. He draws on his experience ranging from corporate treasury roles to advising a range of clients and sectors, including Housing, Real Estate, and Private Equity.  

Gows received his bachelor’s degree from Brunel University and is a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Imran provides expert advice on the full range of treasury and corporate finance areas. He led the Bromford treasury team for over eight years, where he established Bromford as one of the leading housing associations in the debt and capital markets and led on the completion of three successful mergers, achieved the sector leading dual credit rating, and pioneered overseas funding in the US and sustainable finance in the UK with the first green loan in the sector.

He brings a unique approach with an in-house mindset, with an appreciation of strong governance, managing stakeholders at Board and Executive, and including the resident voice in treasury activity. Imran is a key driver of thought leadership in our sector, and convened the National Housing Federation’s Treasury in Housing Conference in 2023 and 2024. He has authored a number of thought pieces in leading sector journals, including banking the future of social housing, why treasury activity must be customer centred and the future of sustainability linked loans.

Imran is a qualified Chartered Accountant, and prior to Bromford, he led housing and infrastructure advisory mandates at PwC in the UK and overseas for over ten years. He holds a degree in Physics from the University of Oxford.

Areas of expertise:

•        Business planning

•        Treasury strategy

•        Credit ratings

•        Mergers and acquisitions

•        Bank funding

•        Capital markets

•        Sustainable finance

•        Legacy negotiation and debt restructuring

•        Off balance sheet finance