FW Capital has promoted Laura Rees to Fund Manager, enhancing its senior-level investment team that supports businesses across the North West through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.
Based in FW Capital’s Manchester office, Laura brings over 20 years’ experience in commercial banking. She joined FW Capital in 2020 as a Senior Investment Executive and has held previous roles at Catalyst Finance, NatWest, and RBS Invoice Finance. Her promotion follows the retirement of Loz O’Connor, who worked at FW Capital for 11 years and made a significant contribution to the business.
Laura’s promotion is part of FW Capital’s ‘Career Path’ programme, which provides a structured framework for staff to gain relevant experience and progress in their careers. In her new role, Laura will lead an established team of dedicated investment executives who are delivering funding to growing SMEs across the North West. This work is carried out through NPIF II - FW Capital Debt Finance, with FW Capital acting as fund manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).
Gary Guest, Fund Director at FW Capital Fund Director said: “Laura is a high-performing member of the team and has proved time and again her commitment to guiding and supporting many North West businesses through the funding process. Her promotion is truly well deserved and demonstrates our on-going commitment to develop our own talent within FW Capital. It comes at a period of continued growth for FW Capital as we continue to help growing businesses across the North West benefit from transformational access to finance opportunities from NPIF II.”
Laura Rees, Fund Manager at FW Capital added: “It’s a very exciting time to move into the Fund Manager role and support companies across the North West as they take the next steps in their growth journey. The region has always been home to vibrant, innovative businesses across a wide range of industries, and we’re working hard to help them access funding through NPIF II. The Fund can invest between £100,000 and £2 million into ambitious businesses, and we’ve already supported many that haven’t been able to secure finance through traditional routes — offering them a valuable alternative funding solution. I’m looking forward to building on the great work of our team and helping even more businesses across the region achieve their ambitions."
Sue Barnard, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said: “It’s excellent to see Laura promoted to Fund Manager at FW Capital. Fund Managers play a vital role in supporting businesses to access the finance they need, so it’s great to see the continued strength of FW Capital’s team. With the expertise of our Fund Managers and the strong support behind the delivery of the Fund, NPIF II will continue to make a lasting impact on the business ecosystem across the North.”
The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.
The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.
