A Conversation with Will Aylmer

Will is co-founder and partner at Castlehaven.

He has worked in finance for over ten years. At CH, he oversees operations and strategy, driving the direction of the firm and generating new ideas.

Q: Share the company story. How did CH get started?

W: Clark and I first met through a mutual contact in 2010 while working in London. Both of us were ready to start something new at the time, so we entered the alternative finance space by opening a UK brokerage firm called Miriad Finance. There was a gap in the market—we filled it. We could see that this type of work would be valuable in Ireland, if and when the market turned around. By the end of 2013, we decided it was time to start a debt fund in Ireland. That’s where Castlehaven came from.

Q: Give the CH elevator pitch. Who is Castlehaven and what do you do?

W: We’re lenders—like a bank, but faster. We can’t be beaten in terms of speed. To date, we’ve lent over €510 million to property developers.

Q: What inspired the company name?

W: I spend a lot of time in rural Cork. There’s a beach there called Castlehaven. I’ve always liked the name—a castle is a solid structure and that’s what we are: solid.

Q: What drives your work?

W: I’ve always wanted to run my own business, to work for myself. I also want to achieve something meaningful. I studied property and enjoyed finance and then saw an opportunity. I also had some experience in development, so that helped. It’s satisfying to make things work for people—to take a problem and solve it, to build something.

Q: List your top values as a company.

W: We are approachable, relatable, adaptable, flexible, easy-going, and honest.

Q: What are your ultimate goals as a business?

W: It’s our goal to deliver, to do what we say we will, and for our clients to have a positive experience with us. We aim to be the biggest provider of alternative finance in Ireland.

Learn more about Will and the rest of the CH Team→