Bibby Financial Services appoints head of business centre for trade finance
Global SME partner, Bibby Financial Services (BFS), has announced the appointment of Karl Leitelmayer as its head of business centre for trade finance.
Karl is an invoice finance specialist with over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector. He joins BFS after 19 years at Lloyds Banking Group, most recently as head of broker channel sales – invoice finance. During this time, Karl was instrumental in the redesign and launch of Lloyds’ broker offering to the invoice finance market.
Karl’s career has also seen him lead teams within SME and mid markets banking and asset finance for Lloyds Banking Group.
Karl will be based out of BFS’s Manchester and Banbury offices, heading up a national team of 10 trade finance client managers. Karl will be focused on continuing to build BFS’s trade finance market share by providing first class customer service through a motivated and engaged client management team.
Speaking of his appointment, Karl said:
“I’m thrilled to be a joining a company that is committed to supporting SMEs and the growth of the UK economy. I’m hugely excited by the opportunity to develop its already well-established trade finance offering, particularly for the SME sector which is typically underserved with this type of funding.
“Businesses are operating in an increasingly uncertain environment, so it’s crucial the right support is there for them to grow.”Gary Griffiths, Managing Director of Trade Finance, added:
“BFS is committed to supporting UK businesses through Brexit and beyond which is why we’ve pledged our support to the Business Finance Council’s SME Finance Charter. Karl’s extensive experience in providing working capital solutions to businesses of all sizes makes him well placed to support this commitment.
“We’re looking forward to working with Karl to support the growth of our trade finance offering and provide UK SMEs which trade internationally with the funding solutions they need to thrive.”
