Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has appointed Paul Ratcliffe as Managing Director for its new Marine Finance business set to launch this year.

With 40 years’ experience in the maritime and asset finance sectors, Paul began his career at BFS’s parent company, Bibby Line Group (Bibby), in 1980 when he joined his first ship, MV Dorsetshire.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Experienced marine financier re-joins international business after 35 years  

After gaining over four years’ of sea time experience, including as Third and Second Officer on a variety of Bibby’s vessels, Paul joined the Bank of Scotland in 1987. In 2002, he set up the bank’s Asset Finance Marine business, as well as the Small Commercial Vessel division. In 2013 he joined Shawbrook Bank where he set up its Marine Finance business.

Derek Ryan, Managing Director of Bibby Financial Services UK, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Paul back to Bibby to drive forward our Marine Finance business. Paul’s deep-rooted and extensive knowledge of the marine sector gained over four decades is unrivalled, and we look forward to launching and growing the business with him at the helm.”

Paul Ratcliffe, Managing Director of BFS Marine Finance, said: “Having spent the first part of my career at Bibby after joining over 40 years ago, this feels like coming home. With global shipping costs high and the move towards decarbonisation, businesses in the sector have a series of challenges to overcome. Combining BFS’s financing specialism along with the Group’s shipping heritage will enable us to support those operating within the sector and help them to access the funding they need to grow and thrive.”

To support the development of BFS Marine Finance, Richard Hargraves, former Head of Risk at Siemens Financial Services, joins BFS as Head of Portfolio Risk. Experienced shipping sector solicitor advocate, Howard Quinlivan, has been appointed as Senior In-house Legal Counsel.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Derek Ryan added: “A key part of our 4.0 strategy is expanding our product range so we can support a greater number of businesses. BFS Marine Finance does just this, and complements our existing support across invoice finance, asset finance and FX. 

“Paul’s return 40 years after he first joined the Group reflects our ethos of embracing our past to shape our future. Along with the appointments of Howard and Richard, we are now recruiting for other roles within BFS Marine Finance and look forward to successfully launching the business over the coming months.”

Paul will join BFS on 1 February 2023.