CBC openings prompt new appointments by Santander

SANTANDER Corporate & Commercial has appointed two business development directors to boost its support for SMEs in the Midlands. The appointments follow the recent openings of new Corporate Business Centres in Stoke-on-Trent, Shrewsbury and Worcester.

Rav Bagri, previously the bank’s Business Development Director in Coventry and Warwickshire, will be based at the bank’s corporate business centres in Birmingham and Coventry. He will be responsible for building relationships with clients in the Central Midlands as the bank looks to grow its lending in the region.

Tom Addyman, previously the bank’s Business Development Director in Birmingham, will be based at the bank’s corporate business centres in Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Shrewsbury and Worcester. He will be responsible for building relationships with new clients in the South & West Midlands.

Chris Hallam, divisional head of business development for Santander Corporate & Commercial, said: “We are committed to building long-lasting relationships with our customers so that we can provide appropriate and tailored support at every stage of business growth. As our own business grows, we will continue to develop our teams to provide this dedicated support for more local businesses.”

BFS boosts trade finance team

SPECIALIST funder Bibby Financial Services has boosted its trade finance team with the appointment of Robin Crouch as Head of Sales for the central region.
 
With a background in commercial banking, Crouch (left) boasts 20 years’ experience in the industry, having joined from Lloyds Bank where he held the role of Relationship Director.
 
Crouch will work out of Bibby’s offices in Leicester, Birmingham and Bristol.
 
Dave Webb, Regional Sales Director for the Central region, BFS said: “The central region is key to the success of Bibby Financial Services and I’m confident that – with Robin’s experience in commercial finance – we will be able to grow our footprint even further.”
 

Marketing move for Al Rayan Bank

 
AL RAYAN Bank, formerly the Islamic Bank of Britain, has announced the appointment of Tim Sinclair as Senior Head of Marketing and Retail Sales.  
 
The appointment of Sinclair (left) to the newly created post recognises his achievements during his three years as Head of Marketing at Al Rayan Bank, which include the bank’s successful rebrand, following its acquisition by Masraf Al Rayan, QSC in early 2014.  
 
Sinclair has played a leading role in the realignment of the bank’s sales channels, towards a more direct model.  This has been achieved by developing the bank’s online capabilities, resulting in a 439% growth in direct sales between 2011 and 2014.  
 
He has also championed several groundbreaking research projects, which have helped Al Rayan Bank to develop a much clearer understanding of the British Muslim consumer and business marketplace, a previously under researched area.  

In his new role, Sinclair will continue to oversee Al Rayan Bank’s Marketing team.  However, he will also be responsible for the bank’s branch and agency network, its contact centre and customer excellence team, as well as its intermediaries and Community Banking teams.
 
Sultan Choudhury, CEO, Al Rayan Bank, said: “Tim’s contribution to Al Rayan Bank to date has been significant.  He has helped create a successful direct banking model and this has been a key factor in the bank’s recent development. He has also led a number of innovative projects that have helped to reinforce the bank’s reputation as a pioneer of British Islamic banking. His expertise and enthusiasm will continue to help Al Rayan Bank achieve its ambitious growth targets.”