ABN Amro Lease UK has appointed Richard De Keijzer as managing director after a competitive selection process, following the departure of George Ashworth for Virgin Money SME lending last year.

De Keijzer, who had been holding the post of interim managing director since Ashworth left in October 2015, has been with the Dutch bank for the past 15 years in various commercial banking roles, including trade & commodity finance, commercial banking and sector advisory.

"I’m really very pleased," de Keijzer told Leasing Life. "Leasing can spearhead ABN Amro’s growth and international strategy this year.

"The UK branch has a healthy autonomy from its Dutch parent; obviously this is part of the bank’s strategy; international growth within a moderate risk profile. Within that there’s a lot of autonomy; I’ve been with the bank for 15 years and I have a good idea of where the bank wants to go," said de Keijzer.

Frank Stienstra, chief executive officer of ABN Amro Lease, said: ‘The UK is an important market for ABN Amro Lease. With his extensive and broad experience in various positions I am very confident that Richard, together with his team, will contribute positively to the overall international strategy of ABN Amro Lease and ABN Amro Bank’.