Maven strengthens investment team

MAVEN Capital Partners has strengthened its investment team with the appointment of Ben Bolt as its new Investment Director. Mr Bolt will work alongside Andrew Ferguson in Maven’s Midlands and Southern England team, and will be based out of the Birmingham and London offices.

Mr Bolt’s focus will be on sourcing and executing new investment opportunities in UK companies requiring £2m-£10m of equity finance, including MBOs/MBIs, expansion capital, replacement capital and acquisition finance.

He has extensive experience of investing in UK businesses over the course of a 15-year career in Corporate Finance. For the past three years he has been an Investment Director with Catapult Venture Managers, and prior to that held a similar role at Kaupthing. Earlier in his career he worked at Deloitte, qualifying as an ACA and advising on M&A and private equity in the mid market.

Mr Ferguson said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben to our investment team. Maven is committed to further enhancing its business across the Midlands and the South, and Ben brings the quality and wealth of experience necessary to complement the existing team. I look forward to working with Ben in continuing to build our business in this region.”

HSBC appoints two new Commercial Directors

HSBC Commercial Bank has bolstered its presence in the Midlands with the appointment of two new Area Commercial Directors. Nick Holloway has taken the role of Area Commercial Director for Nottinghamshire, while Darren Joyce has been appointed to the same position for Derbyshire.
 
Both will manage HSBC’s commercial banking operations in their respective areas and report to Roy Harris, Regional Commercial Director for the Midlands. In their new roles, the duo will focus on supporting businesses with a turnover between £2m and £30m, and ensure that HSBC continues to meet the needs of its commercial clients.
 
Mr Holloway has moved to the Nottinghamshire role from the Derbyshire commercial centre, where he was Deputy Area Commercial Manager for two and a half years. He has been with HSBC for 29 years.

Mr Joyce joined HSBC in 2000 and has worked in a variety of roles, including Corporate Banking, Specialised Finance, Credit Approval and several Head Office roles. He was most recently Deputy Regional Commercial Director for Wales, a role he held for two and a half years.

Roy Harris, HSBC’s Regional Commercial Director for the Midlands, said: “I am pleased to welcome Nick and Darren into these key roles. It is important that we are able to invest even more time talking to our customers so we can better understand their business, the issues they face and their ambitions. These appointments reinforce our commitment to do just this.”

Griffiths & Pegg vows to continue growing

BLACK COUNTRY accountants Griffiths & Pegg has marked its 64th anniversary with a pledge to continue with its growth.

The practice, with employs 16 people – including three partners, now has a turnover of almost £20m and clients range from traditional Black Country manufacturing companies and foundries to more modern industries such as recording studios and theatrical and sporting celebrities.
 
Partner Adrian Granger said: “The world never stands still and our skill has been to combine all the traditional values on which our firm was built, such as trust and respect, with the modern demands of a proactive firm.”