The British Business Bank has appointed a new senior manager in Wales.
Jess Phillips takes over at the helm of the UK Government’s economic regeneration bank in Wales from Beth Bannister who has taken up a new role with the bank’s UK regional funds team.
Ms Phillips joins the bank from Tramshed Tech, where she was enterprise and innovation manager.
In her new role she work closely with funding delivery partners, business development agencies and other organisations across the small business finance ecosystem to improve access to financial support.
As part of the UK network team, her remit also includes working with local finance markets to shape the British Business Bank’s support for smaller Welsh businesses and to inform government policy.
She said: “As smaller businesses continue to face complex and diverse economic headwinds, access to the right type of finance for their needs is fundamental to helping them to not only survive, but to thrive and meet their long term potential.
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to work closely with Wales’ small business community, by providing them with access to independent and impartial information on the different types of finance available and reducing some of the regional imbalances that exist in access to finance across the UK.”
Susan Nightingale, Wales director, UK network for the British Business Bank, said: “Jess is a great addition to the UK network team, bringing a wealth of experience and first-hand experience of supporting smaller businesses in Wales. She will be a driving force on the ground for further growth and development across the financial ecosystem for entrepreneurs and start-ups. We look forward to working with her and to create an even more diverse financial environment for businesses in Wales.”
The British Business Bank is expected to next year launch a new £130m SME investment fund to back the growth of firms in Wales.
Since being established in 2012 the bank’s loans programme for start-ups has provided 4,300 loans worth more than £43m to businesses in Wales.
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