SME funding provider Reward Finance Group has strengthened its client relationship operations across Yorkshire, by promoting Chris Ibbetson to head it up.
With Reward providing tailored business finance loans and asset based solutions to SMEs across the UK, Chris will now lead the client relationship team in Yorkshire and also have responsibility for London, the North East and Scotland.
Chris has been with Reward for over four years, having joined from Yorkshire Bank where he spent eight years within corporate and private banking.
These key changes form part of the lender’s increased investment in people internally, its commitment to supporting SMEs through every step of their finance journey and to support the growth of its regional offices, particularly those in their relative infancy.
Reward is fast closing in on 500 clients, with that number having almost doubled over the last three years with its newer offices in Birmingham, London and Scotland contributing significantly to that pace of growth. These changes embrace the shifting nature of the business and transition to a truly national lender.
Gemma Wright, Managing Director for Reward in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “We’ve achieved outstanding growth across Yorkshire so it felt the right time to put this new structure in place and invest in our client relationship team.
“Chris is well placed to drive this area of the business forward in the region, he has a proven track record and a strong client-centric approach to providing commercial finance which meets SME’s business needs. I am looking forward to seeing the continued growth of the team under Chris’ guidance.”
Chris Ibbetson, regional operations manager for Reward, said: “Our growth has always been underpinned by solid client relationships and guiding the SME through every stage of the lending process.
“Getting under the skin of the client’s business requirements and finding a common sense solution doesn’t just stop when the deal is done, with ongoing collaboration between lender, broker and borrower a hallmark of our success.”
