Pluto Finance appoints Max Güntner as Lending Director for Germany & Netherlands
Pluto Finance, the real estate private credit platform that specialises in development and bridging finance for residential and commercial real estate, has appointed Max Güntner as Lending Director for Germany and the Netherlands. Max’s appointment marks the next stage of Pluto’s expansion into Europe, following its recent hires to lead origination in Spain and Ireland and since announcing its £2 billion partnership with Blackstone to provide whole loan lending for the mid-market.
Max brings nearly 20 years’ experience in real estate and structured finance, and a strong track record of originating, structuring and executing transactions across all real estate asset classes of c. €2.7 billion in combined debt quantum. Over his career, Max has advised institutional investors, private equity sponsors and developers on the sourcing and structuring of real estate financing and raising capital. He is based in Frankfurt and has held senior positions at Deutsche Bank, Laurus Property Partners and most recently as Executive Director at 777 Financial Advisors. This breadth of experience makes him ideally placed to deliver Pluto’s tailored lending solutions to borrowers across Germany and the Netherlands.
This appointment further strengthens Pluto’s ability to deploy capital across its key European markets and follows recent senior hires: Shane Ryan joined in December 2024 to focus on Ireland; Eduardo Martin joined in early 2025 to serve the Spanish and Portuguese markets and Ciaran Singh in April 2025 as Managing Director, Europe.
Pluto Finance has provided over £3.5 billion of loans across 300 transactions in the UK since inception. With this strong track record, Pluto is extending its successful lending model to provide financing solutions to real estate owners and developers across continental Europe.
Ciaran Singh, Managing Director, Europe, commented:
“Max’s arrival is another important milestone in our European growth strategy. Having established a strong presence in the UK, we have begun replicating this success across Ireland, Iberia and can now extend this to Germany and the Netherlands. These are deep real estate markets where flexible credit solutions are in demand. Max’s combination of transaction experience, a pan-European perspective, and trusted network of borrower and investor relationships will be central to our ability to build momentum quickly. His appointment underlines our commitment to attracting the strongest talent to lead our expansion.”
Max Güntner, Lending Director for Germany and the Netherlands, said:
“Pluto has an impressive track record in the UK, built on a reputation for pragmatism, speed of execution and a borrower-first approach. These qualities resonate strongly with mid-market and institutional borrowers across Europe, where demand for alternative real estate credit continues to grow. I am excited to help bring this successful model to Germany and the Netherlands, where I see significant opportunities across both residential and commercial markets. With Pluto’s strong investor backing and established expertise, I am confident we can build a long-term, sustainable lending business in these regions. I look forward to working with Ciaran and the wider team to deliver on this vision.”