New SME challenger strengthens lending and credit teams

Redwood Bank launched in August 2017 and has since expanded its team to over 50 employees.

Nicola Blake has joined as business development officer for the South & East region. Previously at Barclays, Nicola has more than 20 years’ experience within the banking and lending industry and is a specialist in SME lending and relationship management.

The head office-based credit team has also welcomed three new credit operations officers who will support customer loan approvals.

Andrew Doherty has joined from the Financial Ombudsman Service, where he oversaw complex lending cases for five years.

Carly Nutkins joins from the commercial lending team and Coutts and Co and has more than 10 years of experience in banking, working across a number of areas within the RBS group and NatWest.

Athan Polydoros specialises in loan operations and joins from Tesco, where he was a credit officer in their property team.

Meanwhile, Tom Worbey has joined the commercial team to support the firm's lending growth.

The Bank’s products include individually-assessed mortgages for business owners and professional landlords, as well as a range of savings accounts.

CEO and co-founder of Redwood Bank, Gary Wilkinson, said: “I’m absolutely delighted with our new recruits and can’t wait to see them play a key part in our development in the months and years ahead. They bring with them a wealth of experience, a palpable enthusiasm for the growth of Redwood Bank and a desire to make a real difference for our customers.

“We’re looking forward to embedding them all within the Redwood Bank family. As we approach our first year of trading, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and I’m confident all five new staff members will be pivotal in helping the achievement of our ambitions for the year ahead and beyond.”