Martin Gilsenan, Relationship Manager at Drawbridge Finance
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1. Who do you think would win in a fight between The Pos and Jonathan Samuels?
For those less familiar with Drawbridge, Jonathan Samuels is the CEO and ‘The Pos’ is Head of Marketing and Operations, Mark Posniak.
Well the Pos carries a bigger handbag, and if it were handbags at ten paces, well Pos carries a bigger handbag...
2. How long have you been at Drawbridge and where were you before that?
I’ve been at Drawbridge for two weeks. Before that I was at AxiaMetrics, a consultancy firm which assess people’s values and business skills. Having previously been in financial services for many years, when the opportunity arose to get back into that arena with a business like Drawbridge, I couldn’t turn it down.
B&C: Why did you leave in the first place?
The mainstream market was broken, normal conditions didn’t apply at the time, so when an offer came in at AxiaMetrics I took it. I’d been in financial services for... [at first Martin seems reluctant to give a figure here]... since 1987 when I left St Mary’s College with a history degree. I mean, what else would you do with a history degree?
B&C: Become a historian? What was your thesis on?
Labour in Irish politics, circa the 1900s.
B&C: Ooh wow, so you’re a bit of a lefty hippy at heart? What happened?
Ha! No I am not, I was more of a punk really, but then I turned to mortgages working on the lending side in sales before co-founding Residential 1 and Commercial 1, eventually becoming Sales Director at Money Partners after it acquired Residential 1 in 2006.
So with a long background in specialist lending, I’ve always kept in touch with developments in the market, even when I wasn’t directly involved.
3. What would you be doing now if you weren’t in financial services?
I’d like to write, I’d like Dylan Jones’s job and be the editor of GQ magazine. I’d like to be a journalist rather than a novelist, but then they say there’s a novel in everyone...
4. How does Drawbridge compare with similar companies you’ve worked for?
It’s very different to every other lending institution I’ve worked for. It’s a small team, everybody pulls together every day, it’s in its infancy it’s in its early days, and it’s different – that’s a great advantage.
B&C: Mark Posniak is always boasting of the camaraderie and how fun it is there, is it really that fun?
Laughing Everybody’s got a great sense of humour and it’s a small business that’s growing, so yes. I knew Matt Smith [Drawbridge Head of Credit] and Lee Carling [Internal Sales] before, as I knew both of them at iGroup and then at Money Partners, so this is the third time we’ve been reunited, Peaches and Herb...
5. What’s changed in bridging then? People talk of a ‘bridging boom’ at the moment, what new trends have you noticed emerge?
Well right now, and moving forward, it’s an exciting market to be in. There are great opportunities to do significant lending – for a well funded firm that is. As the brokers’ awareness of bridging is increasing, so are the opportunities.
But I don’t think you can take anything for granted. Drawbridge is certainly looking to increase its lending, and there are plenty of factors that can affect a market’s sustainability, but provided there’s stability in the housing sector I see no reason why we can’t significantly increase our market share.
6. Who do you fancy off the telly?
Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan Holloway in Mad Men.
7. What would you put in room 101 if given the chance?
Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and all those other vampires that masquerade as music lovers sucking the blood out of talent...
8. If you could have a super power for one day, what would you choose?
I’m easily pleased, so I’d just ask to see 24 hours into the future the day before the Euro Millions Draw.
B&C: Hmm... You’ve thought about this haven’t you?
9. What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I have a phobia of birds, the feathered kind. I think it goes back to seeing Rod Hull and Emu as a kid. If there are any psychiatrists out there that can help me, I’d be most grateful.
10. If you were stuck down a mine, what thoughts would keep you sane?
Well I’ve got to give a straight answer to one of these questions! So it would have to be, without doubt, the love of my family and friends.
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