People: Bank appoints CEO of patient capital activities; Westfield Health restructures leadership team; and more
British Business Bank plc has appointed Catherine Lewis La Torre as CEO of its patient capital activities delivered through its commercial arm.
Lewis La Torre joined British Business Bank Group in 2016 from Cardano Risk Management, where she was Head of Private Equity, responsible for managing a global portfolio of private capital fund investments with over £1bn of commitments.
Prior to this she was a partner with secondaries specialist, Fondinvest Capital, in Paris having previously been one of the founding partners of fund-of-funds manager, Proventure which focused on venture and growth capital investing in Europe.
In her new role, Lewis La Torre will retain responsibility for the lending-based programmes in the commercial arm of the Sheffield-headquartered British Business Bank that support the provision of patient capital to British companies.
Patient capital is critical to build long-term investment in companies across the UK led by entrepreneurs who want to create successful businesses.
The UK Government consulted on potential barriers to accessing finance and the means to overcome them as part of the Patient Capital Review. The Patient Capital Review concluded in Autumn 2017 and, in November’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an action plan to unlock over £20bn to finance growth in innovative firms over 10 years.
This plan allocated additional resources to the British Business Bank in response to the Patient Capital Review.
The British Business Bank is already the largest UK-based LP investor in venture capital with over £1bn committed across a range of different initiatives.
Lewis La Torre said: “I am thrilled to be taking on this important role to lead the patient capital activities within the Bank’s commercial arm and being a visible leader for these initiatives. I am looking forward to working alongside an experienced and dynamic team to increase the volume, diversity and accessibility of longer term finance so that more businesses can raise the capital they need to achieve their growth ambitions.”
Keith Morgan, CEO British Business Bank Group, added: “Catherine is a highly respected industry figure, with more than 30 years’ investment management experience and a strong track record of success.
“I am delighted that she has agreed to take on responsibility for all the British Business Bank’s commercial patient capital activities. I look forward to working with Catherine and her team to provide increased funding that will help growing businesses fulfil their potential, ensuring that the UK remains a key place in the world to raise funds and scale businesses.”
:::
Westfield Health, the Sheffield-based health and wellbeing provider, has implemented a restructure to its leadership team.
Following his promotion to CEO in August 2018, David Capper has announced an executive layer to the leadership team by introducing six new roles, including a Director of Business Transformation.
The new structure includes four promotions of current staff including; Jason Hogan to Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CEO, and Andrew Radi as Chief Operations Officer, responsible for overseeing customer service, IT, business simplification and programme management.
Máire O’Riordan is now Director of Strategic Planning & Insight, who will be supporting the CFO and CEO in developing the group’s strategic business plan, and Paul Shires has been promoted to MD of UK Healthcare – with an objective to drive business growth.
As well as the promotions internally, Capper has hired two recruits; Stephen Pugh as Director of Business Transformation, who has over 30 years of financial services experience and was the CEO of UK Healthcare for almost 10 years. Pugh will be applying his knowledge and experience to drive the reduction of business complexity and support accelerated business growth.
Tony Mucci joins the leadership team as Director of Marketing. He is responsible for delivering the organisation’s marketing strategy and communicating its proposition, which is to design exceptional health and wellness programmes, delivered by experts in areas including mental health resilience, physical activity, nutrition and sleep.
David Capper said: “The restructure and growth of the leadership team provides the foundations for us to transform our business, and allows us to continue our drive to become a market leader in health and wellbeing, with a streamlined approach.
“At Westfield Health, we make a healthy difference to the quality of life of our customers and the wider communities in which they live and work. The introduction of these hires and new roles is in-line with this ethos, and I believe we now have a leadership team that is as strong as it can be. Collectively we have an extensive knowledge, skillset and passion, which I believe will inspire everyone in the organisation to deliver our vision.”
:::
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Andrew Baker, as its new Head of Energy, Infrastructure and Sustainability.
Baker joins from CBRE where he was based for eight years, latterly as Head of Sustainability Consultancy for EMEA.
Prior to that he was with Creative Environmental Networks and Vital Regeneration.
He will lead a team located across Leeds, Edinburgh and London, advising clients on how to protect real estate portfolios from obsolescence due to rapidly-changing occupier expectations for flexible, healthy and sustainable workplaces.
The team also supports clients in addressing challenges such as complex legislation and fluctuating energy prices.
Baker said: “I’m joining Cushman & Wakefield at an exciting time for the industry. There’s been a huge shift in the level of focus and disclosure around what landlords are doing to improve the Environmental, Social and Governance performance of their assets which is having repercussions across our supply chain.
“Technological innovations have also generated a step change within our industry over the past five years. We can now remotely monitor the real-time sustainability performance of property portfolios on a global basis, leading to immediate and tangible improvements in environmental performance.
“We’re seeing proactive investors and occupiers moving away from a focus on compliance and cost reduction, towards fully-integrated sustainability strategies which allows them to outperform competitors in this space.
“Clients are investing in renewable energy technologies, agreeing green leases and obtaining new certifications such as the WELL Building Standard, and in turn they are reaping the benefits through reduced occupancy costs and healthier workplaces. I’m very much looking forward to creating real change.”
Jon Leedham, Head of Business Space Regions, Cushman & Wakefield, added: “Andrew is a standout performer in sustainability consultancy and we are pleased to have him on board. He has managed strategies on behalf of sovereign wealth funds, REITs and Investment Managers and his insight will be invaluable in delivering superior performance for our clients.”
:::
Barclays has strengthened its South Yorkshire team with the appointment of Stephen Dale as Relationship Director.
Dale joins from Lloyds where he undertook a variety of roles in both South and West Yorkshire and most recently he worked as a Relationship Director in the Leeds region, so brings with him a wealth of experience to the role including an in-depth knowledge of the fuel, manufacturing and logistics sectors.
Dale said: “I am relishing the challenge of driving forward the larger business profile of Barclays in South Yorkshire and looking after both new and existing customers. The thing that impresses me most about Barclays is that the customer comes first and is at the heart of everything the we do.
“Whilst my new role will focus on manufacturing, transport and logistics, I’ll be looking forward to catching up with old acquaintances and new contacts in the South Yorkshire region.”
Andrew Marsh, Corporate Director at Barclays in South Yorkshire, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Steve to Barclays – his knowledge of the area and corporate banking experience is a real boost to the South Yorkshire team.
“This new appointment reinforces our confidence in the business opportunities within the area and our desire to support our customers with a specialist industry sector approach. Our aim is still to be the first choice banking provider to large corporates in South Yorkshire and we will be progressing this goal with vigour throughout 2018 and beyond.”
