United Trust Bank (UTB) asset finance has announced the appointment of Eleanor Russell-Blackburn (pictured) as a business development manager (BDM) to lead the bank’s asset finance broker support in Scotland.
UTB recently revealed its intention to expand its activities in Scotland and establish a local presence, building new relationships with brokers serving small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Russell-Blackburn has experience in SME and commercial finance and the Scottish asset finance market.
Having started her asset finance career at Haydock Finance as an internal account manager, she progressed into a regional manager role covering Scotland and developing relationships across a network of brokers serving Scottish businesses.
Before joining UTB, Russell-Blackburn was a senior BDM at Shawbrook Bank where she worked closely with brokers and customers from pre-credit submission stage.
She recently relocated to Scotland, and her role with UTB focuses on further strengthening and developing existing relationships with brokers based in Scotland.
She will report to Astrid Michael, UTB asset finance head of sales.
Nathan Mollett, head of asset finance at United Trust Bank, said: “Scotland presents a significant opportunity for UTB asset finance with many well-established and thriving industries largely underserved by the asset finance market.
“Eleanor’s experience of working in Scotland with brokers supporting a diverse range of Scottish SMEs makes her the perfect person to lead our push north of the border.
“Even more so given Eleanor is now based in Tweeddale, just an hour or so from Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
Russell-Blackburn added: “I am delighted to have joined UTB at a very exciting time in their story and look forward to catching up with broker contacts old and new over the coming weeks.
“I love living and working in Scotland. It is a beautiful, thriving country with many successful, capital-intensive sectors with a strong SME presence creating substantial demand for asset finance solutions.
“Being based in Scotland and having a deep understanding of the country’s economy and commercial finance market gives me an advantage over other lenders who can only operate from a distance.
“As UTB’s ‘boots on the ground’ I will be introducing brokers to the Bank’s service driven proposition comprising competitive products, direct access to underwriters, a skilled and dedicated operations and pay-outs team all backed by the latest time saving technology.”
