HSBC APPOINTS NEW REGIONAL COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

HSBC Commercial Banking has appointed Ian Urquhart as Regional Commercial Director leading its Central and Eastern team to provide greater support for SMEs across the regions. Ian is one of six Regional Commercial Directors appointed by HSBC across the UK as part of a new regional structure.

Ian will lead the 220 strong Central and Eastern Commercial Banking team, which includes 11 Area Commercial Directors across 15 Commercial Centres spanning Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Covering a diverse range of business specialisms, Ian’s team also includes a dedicated Real Estate division and a Regional Commercial International Manager - with specific responsibility to help customers to conduct business across borders, jurisdictions and language barriers with greater ease.

Within his new role, Ian will be dedicated to helping businesses through challenging times and enabling local SMEs to have access to expert financial solutions and advice across areas such as:

• Business banking and insurance
• Finance and borrowing
• International business – from trade finance and international bank accounts, to foreign exchange management
• Savings and pensions
• Specialist finance including solutions for franchises, banking and finance for professionals (solicitors, accountants etc), invoice finance and asset based lending

Ian will be supported in his new role by Tony Hooper, who returns from a two year stint in Russia, where he established a Commercial Banking presence for HSBC. Having worked for HSBC since 1983, Tony returns to the UK to take up the role of Deputy Regional Commercial Director.

HSBC’s regional network of 15 Commercial Centres offer business customers - that’s firms with a turnover of £500k-£25million - solutions which draw upon HSBC’s unrivalled global presence, while also tapping into the team’s local knowledge.

Ian is appointed to the role having led the regional Commercial team in Central and Eastern England since 2007, prior to which he worked as Area Director for the City of London. Having worked for HSBC for 25 years, Ian has worked across many segments of the bank, including commercial and corporate banking. Ian is married, with three children and lives in Buckinghamshire.

Stephen Price, HSBC’s Head of Commercial Banking, said: “I am delighted to announce Ian’s appointment to this senior management role. The structural changes and new appointments we’ve made across our regional network means 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.”

Commenting on his new role, Ian said: “These are challenging times for businesses in Central and Eastern England and I’m committed to working with my incredibly experienced and capable team to help SMEs in the region to grow and strengthen their businesses. We are in a unique position of being able to offer businesses worldwide expertise and global solutions, while also knowing the local market inside out, which gives our customers the flexible financial support and services they need, when and where they need it.”

Ian is supported by Kevin Thorn in Norfolk and ten other Area Commercial Directors spread across the region.

For more information and to contact HSBC’s Central and Eastern Commercial Banking team visit www.hsbc.co.uk/business