Leasing Life’s monthly summary of the key career moves in the leasing and finance industry.
Arkle Finance appoints chair
Asset finance provider Arkle Finance has appointed the co-founder of Close Leasing as non-executive chair.
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Paul Bartley joins after a 30-year career with a number of companies. Since 2017 Bartley has been chief executive officer of FairSquare.com, a new and used car sales and finance digital platform.
He was also sales director at ING Lease from 1990 to 2002, European business director at CIT Group from 2003 to 2007, and director of Close Brothers from 2007 to 2017.
Paragon adds new business head and recruits to sales team
Paragon has made a series of appointments in its asset finance business.
Jan Greenhalgh joins as head of new business management in asset finance from RBS, where she was head of onboarding, account maintenance and customer due diligence. As well as 18 years at RBS, she held senior posts at Lombard in corporate, commercial, asset management and invoice finance. Greenhalgh will focus on leasing for SMEs.
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By GlobalDataParagon has also made additions to its sales team, which offers finance through brokers, including the appointments of business development managers Ian Beattie, Michael Molyneux and Vajinder Bal. They are joined by assistant relationship managers Yanko Dimitrov, Chris Harpley and Cara Chirgwin in the broker channel.
Ultimate Finance names chief executive officer
Ultimate Finance has appointed a chief executive officer to replace Ron Robson, who stepped down from leading the business to focus on other responsibilities in the Tavistock Group.
Josh Levy succeeds Robson, who served as chief executive officer since 2015. Levy, a serving board member of Ultimate Finance, has been working alongside Robson and the leadership team over the last year prior to taking on its day-to-day leadership.
Beginning his career in the investment banking division of Investec Bank, Levy has worked at Tavistock Group since 2016, and is also on the board at Mitchells & Butlers.
Midlands Asset Finance hires former Lombard director
Midlands Asset Finance (MAF) has appointed a business development manager, marking its third hire from Lombard’s Leicestershire decision.
Working from the office based in Narborough, Angela Drury will join John Horne and Shital Koria in supporting SME and corporate clients across the country with financial needs including asset, invoice and property finance.
Joining from Lombard where she worked as assistant relationship director for 10 years, Drury also spent seven years as a legal associate at a solicitors’ practice. Drury is the first appointment of the year for MAF, following 10 new starters in 2018, which has seen the business more than double in size in the last 18 months.
DLA Piper adds partner to asset finance team
DLA Piper has added a partner to its asset finance team based in Manchester. Asset finance lawyer Rebecca Williams will be joining the firm as a partner in its finance and projects practice.
Williams joins the firm from Addleshaw Goddard, where she has been a partner since 2012. She advises clients on a range of asset finance matters, including finance and operating leases, structured debt arrangements, block discounting and the sale and purchase of equipment lease portfolios.
Her practice covers a broad spectrum of sectors including energy, IT, manufacturing and transport, and she deals with a diverse range of assets including commercial vehicles, computer equipment, energy-generation equipment, plant and machinery, and rolling stock.
Williams has a wide client base including lessors, lessees and asset finance intermediaries, and advises on transaction structuring and domestic and cross-border deals.
FPB appoints SME representative to lobby on late invoices
Business lobby group the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has appointed a Small Business Crown Representative to help lobby the UK government over legislation on late payments.
Martin Traynor was group chief executive at the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce for 14 years. He has extensive experience in the leisure and hospitality industry, having worked in hotel management for over 20 years.
The UK government has reiterated a desire to include more small businesses in government contracts. With this consideration, Ian Cass, managing director of the FPB, expects Traynor to bring focus to two specific areas.
Cass said: “Having someone nominated to champion improved access to government contracts within the heart of government is good news, but he will have to walk the talk if we are to see real changes. Firstly, we will be looking for government to blacklist any company, whatever its size, with payment terms of in excess of 60 days, and who are not signed up to the Prompt Payment Code.
“We are hoping to see a changed mentality within government, whereby those who actually do the job are contracted, not umbrella corporations like Carillion, who take the profit and subcontract to small businesses at ever-decreasing margins. At the forum we look forward to working with Traynor on both counts.”
