Recognise Bank appoints Head of Credit

SME business lender, Recognise Bank has announced the appointment of Gavin Keyte as Head of Credit.

Keyte joins from Allica Bank, where he was Head of Credit, and brings with him experience gained from 28 years in the industry, which includes major credit and risk roles at lenders such as Lloyds Banking Group and Allied Irish Bank.

Keyte has a deep understanding of SME and corporate lending, including leveraged finance and asset finance, as well as expertise in credit underwriting, policy and regulatory compliance. He joins at an important time for Recognise as the bank signals plans to further increase its lending following its latest successful fundraising round.

His experience of the small and medium-sized business sector is particularly important as Recognise Bank aims to help growing companies that are underserved by the mainstream banks.

Commenting on Gavin’s appointment, Mark Bampton, Chief Credit Officer for Recognise Bank, said “The UK’s SMEs are poorly served because so many of the mainstream banks have automated their lending and removed the people with real expert knowledge of business sectors and their financial needs.”

“In Gavin we have somebody with a huge amount of experience of lending to the SME sector and a great understanding of what makes them tick. He will be a great asset in helping to shape our proposition as we increase our lending to small businesses by developing strong relationships with business owners and truly understanding their business.”