Paul Bartley Named Hampshire Trust Bank asset finance MD

Hampshire Trust Bank, announced the appointment of Paul Bartley as Managing Director of its asset finance division, effective immediately.

Bartley has held a number of different roles in the industry throughout his career, most notably as a founder director and shareholder of Close Leasing between 2007 and 2017. More recently, Bartley founded and built FairSquare.com – a digital platform in the retail car sales and finance market.

According to the CEO of Hampshire Trust Bank, Matthew Wyles, “Paul has a potent blend of skills and combines deep technical knowledge of asset finance with a famously compelling leadership style and true entrepreneurial flair”.

“He is what I call a rainmaker and I am thrilled that Paul has decided to come and join me and the team as we continue to build our momentum based on a highly distinctive and resilient franchise. Paul is a demonstrable champion and ideally qualified to spearhead our drive into the specialist asset finance market.”

Bartley further commented: “I was impressed by bank’s strategic coherence and clear focus on what really drives success. The board and management have an appetite for innovation and I can see a huge opportunity to build on what the bank has already achieved in the asset finance market.

“The bank has a strong, sound foundation on which to build out new products and expand across new specialist market sectors. I am delighted to be joining the team to lead the business on the next stage of its development.”

The specialist business finance branch of the bank recently completed a £990,000 asset refinancing facility for a South Wales group of marine companies.

The structured asset finance team used the existing fixed assets of the group to consolidate their current debt facilities, whilst taking a second charge over the freehold of the marinas. The facility delivers an annual saving of £300,000 which significantly improves cashflow and enabled the group to make considerable further investment.