Commercial finance provider Independent Growth Finance has appointed Paul Whitaker as chief risk and operating officer.
He joined IGF after two and a half years at Barclays bank, where he held the position of head of business transformation and delivery.
Whitaker (pictured) has 30 years’ experience working in operations and business transformation roles in the financial services sector, including 19 years at GE Capital, before joining Barclays in 2017.
His expertise includes change and risk management, shared services, outsourcing, operational excellence, regulatory compliance and organisational optimisation.
He will be working alongside chief executive officer John Onslow and the wider board in providing financing solutions to companies throughout the UK.
Onslow said: “Paul brings significant experience of helping big businesses within the financial services sector to perform more efficiently and to optimise operations to ensure success. With our whole industry going through the biggest transformation seen in a number of years, Paul’s change and risk-management expertise will be vital.”
IGF has been supporting UK businesses since 1997. The company works with businesses with a turnover of £1 million to £100 million with finance provided predominantly on a secured basis against receivables, inventory, plant & machinery and property.
Whitaker said: “As an organisation that supports small and medium businesses by helping them to leverage the value of their assets, IGF is providing a vital lifeline to many companies right now. I am excited to join John and the IGF team to continue to support as many clients as possible, helping businesses to survive and hopefully thrive, through this crisis and beyond.”
