New independent debt advisory business Art Capital has appointed Martin Sheridan from BGO as a partner.
Sheridan, who has more than 17 years’ experience in the UK and Irish commercial real estate markets, was a managing director and part of a team that sourced and closed loans within BGO’s UK and European credit business. He also held responsibilities for originating, underwriting, executing and managing debt investments on behalf of the firm’s clients.
Prior to joining BGO, he held a series of senior positions at RBS within its capital resolution and restructuring teams.
At Art Capital, he joins founding partners Tim Vaughan, most recently a managing director at Brotherton Real Estate, and Stuart Blieschke, who has held senior roles as a private credit and special situations investor across the UK and Asia, including head of credit for KKR in North Asia and Australasia.
Launched in September 2024, Art Capital has already secured a £1bn pipeline of funding mandates and in October last year the company closed its first transaction – a £120m refinancing of six logistics assets on behalf of an institutional investor, with Ares Management providing the debt funding.
The business is active across all asset classes and its typical loan size is between £20m and £300m, with room to flex for the right client.
Sheridan said: “Led by experienced credit investment professionals, Art Capital presents a genuinely differentiated offering at an exciting time for real estate capital markets. While proudly independent, we benefit from access to data, market insights and support from our shareholders and strategic partners, giving us the heft of a large surveying practice while retaining the agility of a boutique.
“Art Capital has been designed to bridge the gap between specialist debt advisers and generalist property advisers. We are all first and foremost experienced credit professionals, providing our clients with unique debt advice but backed up by deep real estate knowledge.
“I am privileged to have learnt from some of the brightest and best people in global real estate at BGO, and proud to have supported the growth of the firm’s UK and European credit business to become one of the most successful debt managers in the market whilst working on market-moving deals. At Art Capital, I look forward to working closely both with the founding partners and our shareholders to provide second-to-none advice and secure the best terms for our clients as we enter a period of monetary policy volatility.”
Blieschke added: “As one of the UK’s most active value-add lenders over recent years, Martin brings a wealth of experience in negotiating loans for complex, large-scale development projects, providing him with actionable insights that will benefit Art Capital’s array of clients. bHe also brings with him a 360-degree understanding of the UK real estate market, with experience working with leading industry players to finance landmark projects across all major asset classes.
“Martin’s arrival adds to the strong momentum we’ve already experienced entering 2025, with a healthy pipeline of opportunities buoyed by a quickly established market presence, the backing of our shareholders and a growing roster of strategic partners.”
Vaughan said: “Art Capital was established to provide educated advice from investment professionals who have long and established track record’s investing across the capital stack at elite global firms. During the course of 2025, we are due to open Art Capital businesses in continental Europe and Asia as part of ours and our shareholders’ desire to grow a truly global debt advisory business.”
