Gauhar Ejaz, Lauren Ryan and Sophie White join the team as part of Channel Finance’s growth plans. Ejaz has been appointed as mortgage & protection adviser; Lauren Ryan has become Channel’s  commercial relationships director; and Sophie White has been appointed as head of growth, brand & partnerships.

The firm will also be the headline sponsor at the 2027 Scottish Property Awards. Channel Finance Group has signed a three-year partnership agreement to sponsor the awards in its 14th year. It will also mark the first year of the awards under the new ownership of Hero Media & Entertainment following its acquisition of KDMedia.

Mr Butt runs corporate advisory service Mayfair Corporate, which helps businesses through the full cycle of their transaction from origination to valuation through to completion and post deal integration. The finance expert has more than 26 years as an accountant and corporate law specialist, adding a “rare dual perspective” when helping businesses seek funding, deals and even contracts and governance structures. Mayfair Corporate was founded in 2016.

His work spans across financial services, retail, care, property, education, and professional services sectors; supporting owner managed businesses through a sale process, advising growing companies on the legal frameworks underpinning expansion, and guiding boards through stakeholder negotiations. Mr Butt also founded 1 Accountant in 2012, a firm of accountants’ part of the 1 Business Group, which provides advice and services to all types of individuals and corporations.

In his new role at Channel Finance, he will head up the firm’s corporate advisory division and joins the business as a partner.

Channel Finance Group was founded by Michael Savage and has been trading for over 10 years. It has worked with thousands of clients across the UK, with a total deal value of approximately £2.3bn.

The awards recognise the developments, organisations, teams and individuals making an impact across Scotland’s property and built environment sectors.

This year’s programme includes 15 categories spanning development, architecture, regeneration, sustainability, finance, social impact and business leadership. The firm will also sponsor the Commercial Development of the Year category.

Entries are open until Monday 2 November 2026, with the winners announced at the awards ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Thursday 25 February 2027.

Mr Savage, said: “It has been a phenomenal period of growth for Channel Finance Group, and this week we are delighted to introduce four new members of the team.

“Their arrival reflects how far the business has come. Over recent months we have broadened what we offer and who we offer it to. Alongside commercial and property finance, bridging, and asset and invoice finance, we are now supporting more business owners with acquisition finance, management buyouts and corporate advisory work, as well as personal mortgages and protection.

“More of that work is coming from London, and more of it is coming through the accountants, solicitors and advisers who now refer their clients to us. Growth like that only works with the right people behind it. 

We are proud to be headline sponsor of the Scottish Property Awards for the next three years. The awards celebrate the people and projects shaping Scotland’s property sector, and that is exactly the community we work alongside every day, from developers and investors to the lenders who back them.

“Sponsoring commercial development of the Year in particular reflects where so much of our funding work sits, and we look forward to celebrating this year’s winners in February.”

Mark Hollinshead, chief executive at Hero Media and Entertainment, said: “We’re delighted that Channel Finance Group are working with us on a long term partnership through their sponsorship of the Scottish Property Awards.

“It’s a perfect strategic fit for the awards in terms of having a prestigious business like Channel Finance marketing their range of products and services to the well defined audience that we reach”