Fund management firm FW Capital has added more than a decade’s worth of financial services sector experience to its North East team with the recruitment of Rachael Guest to a portfolio executive position.
Rachael’s new role focuses on working with businesses from across the region that are looking to win investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, which provides a mix of debt and mezzanine funding of between £100,000 and £750,000 to small and medium businesses.
She has joined FW Capital after spending the last four and a half years with Santander Corporate Banking, where, as relationship director, she managed a portfolio of 75 North East firms with turnovers ranging between £1millon and £25million.
Rachael will be based in FW Capital’s Teesside office, but will be spending much of her time out and about, developing new relationships with businesses around the region and working with the firms in which FW Capital has already made investments.
She previously worked for Barclays Bank plc and Randstad Ltd, and as well as having an honours degree in Finance & Investment Management from Northumbria University, she also holds a Level Four Diploma in Business and Commercial Banking and Conduct.
She says: “I’d come across FW Capital during my previous role and they had a good reputation in the sector, so when I saw this role was available, I was keen to take it on.
“My years of working closely with SMEs, assessing their commercial situations and requirements, and finding the right types of financial packages for them has given me a lot of experience that is directly relevant to this new role, and the interesting investment options that FW Capital provides will give me an excellent chance to make sure of it.
“It’s been a very busy start, with a number of deals already in progress and many more opportunities in the pipeline, and I’m looking to get into the regional business community to build new relationships with companies that are looking to expand.”
Operating from the British Business Bank’s Sheffield head office, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund works alongside ten Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), the combined authorities and Growth Hubs, as well as local accountants, fund managers and banks, to support Northern-based SMEs at all stages of their development.
Joanne Whitfield, fund manager at FW Capital, adds: “Rachael is a highly qualified and impressive individual who has a detailed knowledge and understanding of the North East economy.
“Her insight will be invaluable in identifying businesses that could benefit from joining our Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund investee portfolio.”
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
For further information on the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and FW Capital’s investment criteria, visit www.fwcapital.co.uk or contact the investment team on 0191 269 6969.