The positive impact of challenger banks and exciting time for Leonard Curtis

Becky Owen is head of funding at Leonard Curtis, having joined the business twelve months ago with 25 years’ experience in banking and finance. Following two decades at Royal Bank of Scotland, and experience launching a new bank into the UK market, she now leads the commercial finance team at Leonard Curtis, drawing on her knowledge and extensive network to work with and support SMEs.

My role at Leonard Curtis is very rewarding and varied; we work very closely with our clients to achieve their goals and support them in navigating challenges.

I enjoy leading the team who support customers and make a real difference, whether that’s helping clients to structure finance or working with them to achieve their goals

It’s positive to have the support of the wider Leonard Curtis group, with its abundance of talented people all with the same goal.

It’s an exciting time for our funding team, and we have started the year in a very strong position for growth.

We have built solid foundations and are well positioned to support more clients with tailored and bespoke solutions, developing strong relationships and focusing on adding real value.

We benefit from very well-established relationships with lenders, which helps us to deliver for our clients while continuing to work closely with funders. We really look after our team to ensure we attract the most talented people who are the best in their fields.

We understand the importance of working together and investing in people’s individual development and future careers, creating opportunity for growth and development.

While confidence is slowly improving within the market, persistent economic headwinds continue to impact SME growth.

Many of the companies we support are facing unprecedented challenges amid tough economic conditions, which in turn impacts the desire to access finance.

The higher cost of finance in the current interest rate environment, coupled with rising costs, will continue to affect business confidence, potentially making directors reluctant to borrow or seek support when it is required. It’s important that businesses are prepared to face challenges head-on, adapting and planning accordingly. Too often we are still called upon too late, which can sometimes hinder our ability to help.

It has been positive to see more challenger banks and funders entering the UK market during the last decade, creating a positive impact on the lending landscape.

They have provided vital access to finance for businesses of all sizes and industries.

For our brokerage, the significant expansion of lenders in recent years has provided us with the tools to be able to deliver finance tailored and suited to the needs of our clients, and with deals often executed at pace. In turn, this has helped us to build the credibility of the brokerage in the market, earning a reputation as a trusted advisor.

Trust is so important in establishing and developing new relationships.

My personal motto is ‘always do the right thing’ whether that’s by our customers, introducers, lenders, professional networks, colleagues or friends.

Leonard Curtis operates by a series of values which all resonate with me on a personal level. My favourite is focused on trust and sharing the load; we’re a team and we understand that no-one can do it all alone, we put our trust in our teammates to do what they do best and to have our back. We all take the trust placed in us seriously and look out for each other; it’s something I live by and encourage my team to do the same.

While it’s important to always treat people with respect, you’ll never please everyone and that is ok.

If I could give one piece of advice it’d be to never shy away from tackling challenges – putting off difficult decisions will only lead to issues later down the line. Always treat people with respect and never miss an opportunity to take inspiration from those around you, whether that’s good or bad. I always think about how I could be better.

Away from work, I enjoy relaxing with my family and three children.

Though relaxing is always a bit of a challenge with three children in tow! We love family time walking our dog, Rocky, and spending time together outdoors, but our favourite place is in the sun, usually Portugal. And ideally with a nice glass of wine in my hand!