New head of business bank appointed in the North West
The British Business Bank has appointed Sue Barnard as head of its operations in the North West.
The British Business Bank – the government-owned economic development bank – is setting up a UK Network, with team members based within each of the English regions and the three Devolved Nations.
The UK Network was originally announced as part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy in November 2017, with a remit to identify and help to reduce imbalances in access to finance for smaller businesses across the UK.
The UK Network will help enhance business finance ecosystems across the UK so smaller businesses, wherever they are, can grow and prosper.
It will also help the bank develop a deeper understanding of small business finance markets in all parts of the UK so that it can improve its support to smaller businesses.
Sue will represent the UK Network across the North West and will engage closely with business finance stakeholders in the region.
She will be supporting Geoff Whiteland, the recently appointed UK Network Director, North of England and the Midlands.
Sue joined the bank in 2016 as senior relationship manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
Sue has also held similar positions in the last twenty years with the Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub and the North West Development Agency, delivering a range of programmes to businesses across the North West.
Geoff Whiteland said: “I am very happy to welcome Sue to the UK Network, where she will be able to build on her existing network in the North West to enhance and build our relationships with key SME finance stakeholders and to help identify and reduce imbalances in access to finance for smaller businesses.”
Sue Barnard said: “I am extremely pleased to be joining the newly created UK Network and look forward to continuing to work across the North West.
“I want to build lasting relationships across the region’s business finance ecosystem and ensure that smaller businesses are encouraged to explore the different finance options available to them.”
The UK Network is part of the British Business Bank’s new demand development Unit, which has been specifically created to raise the Bank’s profile and relationship with smaller businesses across the UK.
The demand development unit also incorporates the Bank’s recently launched finance hub, a digital information hub aimed at raising awareness of the finance options available to UK SMEs.
It is the source of independent information for growing businesses and offers guidance for scale-up, high growth and potential high growth businesses using interactive content.
