Leading independent South Wales commercial finance consultants HCF has selected two experienced former senior HSBC bankers to boost the business and help manage growth.
Laurence Payne, former HSBC Area Commercial Director for West Wales and Phil Ledger, Deputy Area Commercial Director for South East Wales, have joined HCF.
Laurence, who spent forty years at the bank, will target business growth in the Swansea and West Wales area while Phil, who was with HSBC for 38 years, will carry out a similar role in South East Wales.
Laurence, originally from Cardiff but now living in Llanelli, said: “I am very excited at the prospect of working with this progressive, energetic and innovative team of committed financial experts who, in the current economic climate, provide a vital service to SME businesses.”
Phil, originally from Llandudno has lived in Usk, Monmouthshire, for many years. He is a previous past president of the South East Wales Chamber of Commerce. Phil said: “I’m really looking forward to the new challenge presented and in being able to use my experience and expertise, built over very many years, to help businesses secure the necessary funding they need to help them prosper and grow.”
HCF Director, Neil McDonagh, said the total of combined banking experience clocked up by the entire HCF team now amounted to some 140 years.
“The volume of work HCF has handled over the past 12 months has grown substantially and there is no sign of this letting up in 2013.
“We’re finding that small and medium sized businesses, including some larger concerns, are increasingly coming to us to help them satisfy their funding requirements and secure the investment they need to grow. For whatever reasons a perception remains that there is reluctance among high street banks to lend.
“I’m delighted that we were able to attract two vastly experienced individuals in Laurence and Phil to join HCF.
“The wealth and depth of knowledge that they have gained over very many years in the banking and financial sector in South Wales, and the excellent relationships that they have built up with customers and professionals locally, will prove to be invaluable assets in assisting HCF to match clients right across Wales with the correct type of funding to help them grow their businesses further.”
HCF is an independent commercial finance specialist which is a full member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB). It acts for those clients seeking funding or who need an overview of their finances or general advice about their overall banking business.