The Cambridge and Counties Bank has appointed Tina Hayton-Banks as its new chief operating officer.
She will replace Scott McMunn at the Leicester-based business bank in the autumn.
Her appointment comes as latest trading figures for the eight-year-old bank showed it faced its most challenging year yet in 2019 due to a combination of political uncertainty, a general economic slowdown – even before the coronavirus hit – and a lack of confidence in consumer markets.
Combined, it meant the bank's balance sheet stayed steady at around £1 billion while pre-tax profits were £22.5 million, down from around £28 million in 2018.
The chief operating officer role is a new position at the bank, which has been managed on an interim basis by Mr McMunn.
In her new role Ms Hayton-Banks will run the operations, IT and change management departments, maintaining the bank’s focus on putting customers first and staying risk aware.
Prior to joining Cambridge and Counties she was director of member services at the Nottingham Building Society.
She said: “Cambridge & Counties Bank is well known in the market for its high-quality customer proposition and dedicated product suite.
“This represents a compelling career opportunity for me and I’m very much looking forward to helping the senior team build on the strong momentum the bank has in the market.”
Cambridge and Counties chief executive Mike Kirsopp said: “We’re delighted to welcome someone of Tina’s track record and calibre to the team.
“She has exceptional experience in key areas such as customer service and compliance, and she will be central to the bank’s continued growth aspirations and our competitive profile.”
The bank, jointly owned by the Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Fund and Trinity Hall, which is part of the University of Cambridge, is based in New Walk Leicester.
It specialises in secured lending and deposit products for small and medium sized businesses, with a strong real estate investor client base.
It has regional offices in Sheffield, Birmingham, and Bristol with satellite representation in Manchester, Cardiff, and Glasgow. It recently bought in new relationship managers in Scotland, Manchester, and Cardiff.
Mr Kirsopp, who in 2019 told the board he would be retiring this year, has agreed to stay on until the end of the tear to help bring his successor on board.
He joined the bank on its formation in 2012 and became CEO in 2014.
In the recent annual report chairman Simon Moore said he remained confident the business would continue to thrive despite the uncertainties of Brexit and the coronavirus outbreak.
He said: “The strength of our capital, liquidity, and the quality of our products and services leads me to believe we’re well placed to face the new climate.
“We expect the UK economy to stabilise over the course of 2020, albeit at a lower growth rate than in recent years or previously expected.”
