SDKA announces new Head of Underwriting following strong year-end results

14 September 2026

Short-term specialist finance lender, SDKA has announced three promotions with Alex Swan taking the role as Head of Underwriting.

Alex joined the business in May 2023 as an Underwriter and has moved through the ranks to a senior leadership position, where he will now oversee the underwriting function and play a key role in the future direction of the business.

Within the team Chris Simpson, who has been with the lender as an Underwriter since March 2025, has been promoted to the vacated position of Senior Underwriter. Josh Draper, who joined the business as a Graduate Underwriter in December 2024, is now Underwriter.

Sharon Penter, whose role has expanded since joining the business as Administrator in September 2024, has taken the title of Operations Manager.

The promotions come on the back of another successful financial year for SDKA, despite tough market conditions. From March 2025 to March 2026, pre-tax profits remained stable at circa £3.3m with loans ranging from £28k to £2.275m and averaging £258k per transaction.

The lender’s product range was equally split with 40% residential, 30% semi-commercial and 30% commercial.

Highlights of the year included the lender’s tenth anniversary in April, with over 250 VIP guests coming together to celebrate the landmark achievement under the wings of Concorde. Attendees raised over £9,000 for Seashell Trust, a learning disability charity that supports young people across the UK.

In the same month, SDKA announced that long-term partners Shawbrook Bank and Aldermore Bank had renewed their combined multi-million pound funding lines. The move creates greater flexibility to support cases outside standard criteria and the backs the launch of new products, such as Bridge To Term.

Kunal Mehta, Managing Director of SDKA, said:

“As always we look ahead and plan for growth, and to be in the best possible position to meet our targets we need the best people and a widening remit of competitive short-term finance products.

“Alex, Chris, Josh and Sharon have played a pivotal role in our growth over the last few years, and their progression reflects the strength of our team. Their experience and expertise will be invaluable as SDKA continues to grow and evolve.”

Founded in 2016, SDKA is an unregulated bridging lender offering products on Residential, Semi-Commercial and Commercial properties across England, Wales and Scotland. The lender offers fixed interest rates from 0.84% per calendar month up to a maximum LTV of 75%.