Appointments

UTB, Recognise Bank, Cornerstone Commercial and Black & White Bridging welcome new recruits




United Trust Bank (UTB), Recognise Bank, Cornerstone Commercial and Black & White Bridging have all bolstered their teams with new hires.

United Trust Bank

UTB has appointed Jon Mote as its head of specialist business development for asset finance to help develop its presence in the mid-ticket transaction sector.

Jon took up the newly created role on 8th April with a focus to increase the originations of £500,000-2m transactions and develop the bank’s specialist high-value motor finance proposition for HNW customers. 

He will report directly to Nathan Mollett, head of asset finance at UTB, and work closely with the sales team, supporting the BDMs in securing higher-value transactions, as well as developing direct relationships with brokers originating in that space.

Jon joins the company from Metro Bank, where he ran its specialist asset finance business with oversight of both broker relationship development and credit risk teams.

“UTB is aiming to grow its asset finance business significantly over the next few years and I’m excited to be part of the team which will deliver that vision,” said Jon.

“The mid-ticket sector is competitive but, in my experience, there’s an opportunity for UTB to go in with a strong service offering providing direct access to credit, quick decisions and efficient, reliable completions.

“As well as having strong leadership and ambitious plans, UTB places a huge amount of importance on providing excellent broker and customer service and encouraging a collaborative and supportive workplace culture. 

“That, combined with investment in talented people and innovative technology, makes it a business I’m very much looking forward to being part of.”

Nathan commented: “We see larger transactions as a key growth area for UTB’s asset finance business over the next few years and Jon’s experience in securing and structuring mid-ticket deals will be invaluable as we build our presence and develop our offering in that space. 

“In addition, his knowledge and contacts in high-end vehicle finance will enable us to further develop our existing proposition for prestige, high-performance and classic cars and win even more business.”

Recognise Bank

Recognise Bank has hired Damian Trussler as head of savings and payments.

In his new role, he will lead the launch of the bank’s personal savings products once the full banking licence is granted and then develop its suite of business savings accounts, which will follow later this year.

Damian is a financial services professional with 25 years of experience in the banking sector. 

He joins from Nationwide Building Society, where he worked as a senior manager for product and proposition within the business savings division.

Prior to his role at Nationwide, Damian spent 19 years at HSBC in a variety of roles, latterly as a senior manager of global product, trade and receivables finance.

Commenting on his appointment, Damian said that he was delighted to join the bank.

“I am particularly looking forward to working with an experienced team who are focused on delivering a better proposition for UK business,” he added.

Bryce Glover, deputy CEO at Recognise Bank, stated: “We are excited to welcome Damian to our team; his extensive banking knowledge and experience will be incredibly valuable as we execute on our business strategy to be the relationship bank of choice for UK SMEs.”  

Recognise Bank aims to underwrite around £250m in new loans by March next year, as revealed by the bank’s CEO, Jason Oakley, in an exclusive filmed interview with B&C.

Cornerstone Commercial

Tim Bridson has joined Cornerstone Commercial as the company’s new senior commercial manager.

With a banking career spanning 40 years, Tim, spent the majority of it helping SMEs in the South Wales area.

He is a specialist in the agriculture, manufacturing, leisure and renewable energy sectors and will seek to develop Cornerstone Commercial’s offering in these spaces.

He is also the first remote-based senior commercial manager in Wales for the business, and will be responsible for providing support to Welsh SMEs.

Tim joins the company from NatWest, where he most recently worked as director of commercial and corporate banking, covering Swansea and the west and middle of wales.

“I am hugely excited to be joining Cornerstone at this time,” said Tim.

“As the economy opens up post-Covid, we are seeing an increasing number of businesses reaching out for support. 

“As traditional routes narrow their funding streams, businesses are looking elsewhere to access funding. 

“At Cornerstone, we offer clients support, working in partnership with them, to help cashflow and access to funding so that their businesses grow and flourish.”

Haydn Thomas, chief commercial officer at Cornerstone Finance Group, commented: “I am delighted that Tim has joined us. 

“He brings with him a wealth of experience and appointing him to a remote-based role is an important step in the Cornerstone journey.

“We hope to build his team in the same manner so that we have a network of successful commercial managers across the UK, supporting businesses with their growth plans.”

Black & White Bridging

Newly rebranded Black & White Bridging has announced its first two external appointments with the hiring of Heather Hancock as a senior underwriter and Oliver Bland as a relationship manager.

Heather joins from Optimum Credit, where she was involved in establishing and implementing the back-office function, including credit policies and underwriting processes.

Prior to this, she spent six years at Bank of Ireland, where she held a mandate within the specialist lending team.

Oliver, who has extensive experience in the bridging market across both front- and back-end functions, joins the company from Interbridge, where he combined underwriting with relationship management.

He has also previously held positions at Funding Options and West One.

Damien Druce, commercial director at Black & White Bridging, said: “[Heather and Oliver] bring a vast store of experience and knowledge to the Black & White team.

“Both have worked closely with the intermediary channel and understand the importance of balancing introducers’ requirements against the need for a fair but robust underwriting stance.

“We stand for providing a simple service with no grey areas and where brokers and their clients can expect only the highest standards and complete consistency throughout the process.

“Heather and Oliver’s expertise will be a crucial ingredient in bringing our vision of a completely transparent, black and white bridging proposition to the intermediary sector.”

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