Giles joined Folk2Folk as chief marketing officer in June 2017 and has played a key role in defining the brand, as well as driving awareness and sales in his first two quarters.

He has over 25 years of experience in financial services and was most recently a member of the senior leadership teams at wealth managers Sanlam UK and the English Mutual Group.

“Giles has demonstrated dynamic leadership qualities since joining Folk2Folk,” said Tim Sawyer, chairman of Folk2Folk.

“His clear passion and understanding of our purpose and what we seek to achieve combined with his vision, skillset and clear ability to execute, make him the ideal person to lead us through the next stage of our growth.

“I look forward to working with him and helping him achieve his goals for the business.”

As CEO, Giles will implement the platform’s business strategy, positioning it as the “go-to” provider for rural and entrepreneurial local businesses looking to secure funding for growth, development and diversification.

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“Our intention is to build a best-loved, UK financial services brand; a business built on the value of fair exchange that delivers stakeholder and shareholder value in equal measure, with a significant national presence: online, in the high street and in the mind of the consumer,” said Giles.

“Our unique local lending offering and asset-backed approach provides a fair, transparent and tangible form of finance that’s attractive to both lenders and borrowers.”

Louis Mathers, co-founder of Folk2Folk, added: “Giles has made a huge and positive impact in a very short space of time.

“He truly understands our business, our heritage, what makes us special and, since joining, has been able to articulate our purpose, our value and our point of difference in a way that is now crystal clear to all.

“Folk2Folk is precious to a great many people: investors, lenders, borrowers and stakeholders, many of whom have been with us since the very beginning and I am confident that the business is not only in great hands, but also has an amazing future ahead of it.”