Asset manager Boost & Co expands Manchester office

Independent asset manager Boost & Co has tripled the size of its Manchester office.

Ryan Sorby, head of the north and Scotland at Boost & Co, who has led the alternative lender’s Manchester office since it opened in the city centre in 2018, has appointed three new principals to join his team.

Oliver Reece joins from Tosca Debt Capital, while Seth Vaughan has moved from Lloyds Bank. Adam Fearnley, based in Leeds, has also joined the team, having previously worked for both NatWest and RSM.

The lender’s growing presence in the city shows its commitment to investing in the region through building strong relationships with local businesses and advisers.

Its expanded north and Scotland team will provide term loans that are tailored to support the needs of innovative, fast-growing firms, not only in Manchester, but also in Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds and Scotland.

Boost & Co offers loans from £2m to £10m and has a strong track record in technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), but supports firms in all sectors.

The lender has funded more than £500m across more than 130 deals to date, and provided close to £200m under the government’s CBILS initiative in to support UK SMEs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ryan Sorby, head of the north and Scotland at Boost & Co, said: “We’ve enjoyed a lot of success through employing people who are local and visible, and who understand the cultural nuances within our city and region.

“Having people on the ground across the north west pays huge dividends in terms of the quality of the deals you can be involved with and the insight that you can get.”

He added: “We’re investing more and more in the north: these are areas where we’ve done high-quality deals over the past 18 months, and the calibre of the advisory base in the region is fantastic, too.

“The northern powerhouse is gaining a lot of traction in the media and also with the government, which will lead to increased focus, funding and support.”