Shawbrook appoints new business finance MD

Simon was formerly Global Chief Executive of Bibby Financial Services, the independent SME finance specialist which provides funding to 10,000 businesses across 16 countries. Prior to BFS, he was Managing Director of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, Network Director of Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking and CEO and Chairman of The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Bank. He was Lloyds Banking Group’s Regional Ambassador for the Midlands, with responsibility for promoting the wider Group’s interests across key external stakeholders. Earlier in his career, Simon spent 10 years at Barclays Bank.

Simon is currently a Board member of the International Factors Group, a global trade association that represents the factoring, invoice financing and asset based lending industry. He is also on the Board of the UK’s Asset Based Finance Association.

In the role of Managing Director of Business Finance, Simon will be responsible for asset finance, invoice finance and wholesale finance. He will work with our existing teams to build an integrated SME financing business initially operating from six regional centres, but with plans to expand this footprint.

Commenting, Steve Pateman, Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Simon has an excellent track record in SME lending and a keen focus on customers and I am delighted he is joining Shawbrook. Increasingly business customers want a holistic approach to lending and Simon will help us to bring our asset finance, invoice finance and wholesale finance offerings together to build out a broader SME financing proposition to meet this demand.”

Simon Featherstone commented:

“I am extremely excited about joining Shawbrook as the opportunity to build out a commercial lending and deposit proposition within the market is huge. Shawbrook has an excellent reputation in the intermediary market and I look forward to working with the senior team to build on our scale and proposition for our clients.”