New SME bank Recognise appoints regional director

Arun has more than 15 years’ experience in banking and finance in the West Midlands, most recently as a director of Acorn to Oaks, a specialist financial services provider.

Prior to this, Arun held positions at a number of banks including Metro Bank, Lloyds TSB and Barclays.

In his new role at Recognise, Arun will be responsible for developing and managing relationships with customers in the West Midlands, one of the key regions for the bank. Initially his focus will be on commercial real estate lending, particularly bridging finance, before expanding into new lending products.

Arun Sohanta commented: “This is an exciting new role at Recognise Bank, which is placing relationships at the heart of SME banking again. The bank has ambitious growth plans, particularly in the West Midlands, and I am looking forward to providing SMEs and entrepreneurs a relationship-led banking proposition that is sadly missing in the sector.”

Jason Oakley, CEO of Recognise, added: “Arun brings a breadth of experience to Recognise, particularly in the West Midlands. We are looking forward to working with Arun and utilising his knowledge to establish Recognise as a leading bank in the region for SMEs.

"Recognise’s founding ethos – and the reason for the bank’s name – is to focus on the SME community that has been so overlooked and neglected by mainstream banking. The bank offers a relationship-led proposition delivered through dedicated relationship managers based in London, Midlands, Manchester, and Leeds. The relationship managers will meet each client and provide a responsive and personalised service. Each RM will have deep knowledge of industry sectors and a genuine appreciation for SME challenges, particularly in the current economic climate."