FW Capital has strengthened its operations with the appointment of two Investment Executives and a Portfolio Executive to drive the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) with loans to support business growth and expansion.
The trio – who will all be based in Billingham – expand the Teesside-based team to 10, part of a 30-strong FW Capital team.
Sam Streckert and Alexandra Gent join FW Capital as Investment Executives.
Sam Streckert has over 20 years banking experience, the last 14 years of which has been at Santander within the corporate and commercial banking teams. During this time, Sam has worked with businesses across a broad range of sectors, helping to provide suitable finance solutions to meet their future needs.
Alexandra Gent, a Chartered Accountant with a detailed understanding of the challenges facing growing enterprises, has worked across a variety of sectors including manufacturing, consumer business, energy and healthcare.
Both are responsible for investing in ambitious SMEs in the Northern Powerhouse region with a focus on Tees Valley to help them innovate and expand, and to achieve their goals and growth potential.
Dave Hawkins joins FW Capital as a Portfolio Executive. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Banker with 28 years of experience in a variety of business roles, Dave will provide support and guidance to NPIF invested businesses, helping customers to succeed and grow.
Sam Streckert said: “I am delighted to have joined the FW Capital team to provide NPIF funding. It’s an exciting time to be part of a growing team and to see the positive impact our investments have made.
“I look forward to working with SMEs in the NPIF region and helping them to achieve their growth ambitions.
Alexandra Gent said: “The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund is a fantastic force multiplier for businesses across the region, helping local small and medium-sized companies to thrive. I am excited to be a part of that process within the FW Capital team.
“The approach FW Capital take to investing fosters a collaborative environment and I look forward to leveraging my previous experience to understand the objectives of companies in the region as they achieve their goals.”
Dave Hawkins added: “A key strength of the FW Capital team is its commitment to building long-term, meaningful relationships with its customers to ensure their growth. It’s great to be part of the team at this exciting time of expansion.”
Joanne Whitfield, FW Capital Fund Director for Tees Valley, said: “It is with great delight we welcome our new team members. Our team in Billingham is now 10-strong, demonstrating our commitment to championing NPIF and the many local businesses the fund supports.”
FW Capital was appointed in 2017 to manage NPIF - FW Capital Debt Finance to support businesses through two £51m funds covering both the North West and the Tees Valley & Cumbria.
In just two and a half years, FW Capital has invested £50m from NPIF into 170 businesses across the North and created over 600 jobs to date
The funding is designed to drive innovation and growth across a broad range of sectors, from digital and software to manufacturing and construction. Help is available for all business types, even where there are few tangible assets to lend against.
NPIF was established in 2017 with the aim to deliver a range of funding options to ambitious and high-growth SMEs to aid expansion and create economic prosperity in the North of England. The Fund offers a range of finance options including micro-finance, debt finance and equity finance, with investments ranging in size from £25,000 to £2m.
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
