Digital challenger CivilisedBank has appointed an experienced SME lending executive, formerly in Aldermore’s invoice finance unit, as its chief commercial officer.
Chris Weller joins from peer-to-peer business lender Growth Street, where he was commercial director from 2017. Some of his prior roles to this were as sales director of invoice finance at Aldermore Bank, and as senior manager of commercial strategy at British building materials company Tarmac.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
Mark Stephens, chief executive officer of CivilisedBank, said: “Chris has a wealth of experience and is hugely respected within the industry, particularly for his understanding of the SME market.
“I’m delighted that he’s joining CivilsedBank. The past few months his support has been invaluable as we shape our proposition to reflect the ever-changing needs of our future customers and the developments within the sector. Chris has a key role to play as we move towards launching during the first half of 2019.”
Weller said: “I am really excited to be joining CivilisedBank, a bank which will be championing solid banking support for SMEs underpinned by best in class technology. The SME market has been underserved and we know that they have been calling for a banking proposition that addresses their specific needs.
“I’m looking forward to working with our intermediary panel and to showing UK businesses how CivilisedBank is different and can really help them succeed in an ever more challenging environment.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCivilisedBank plans to launch in 2019 as the latest addition to Britain’s challenger SME landscape. It plans to take a mixed digital and physical relationship approach.
The bank was granted a banking licence by the Bank of England in May 2017, but released it a year later with the stated reason of allowing more time to develop its technology platform. It has subsequently applied for a new licence.
In September, CivilisedBank appointed former RBS and Lombard director Paul Marston to its board.
