Recognise Bank has appointed former Starling Bank chief operating officer Julian Sawyer as a non-executive director as it continues to expand its specialist property lending business.
Sawyer (pictured) joins the board with experience across banking and fintech, having previously held senior roles including chief executive at Zodia Custody and Bitstamp.
The appointment comes as Recognise Bank continues its growth, having recently announced that its loan book has exceeded £500 million while customer deposits have passed £600 million.
The lender says it is continuing to expand its lending proposition and operational capability to support brokers, property professionals and SMEs across the UK.
Sawyer says: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Simon and the board at Recognise Bank at such a pivotal time for the Bank. Recognise Bank is poised for its next phase of growth having grown by over 45% in the last 12 months.
“My experience in high growth companies will help to position Recognise Bank as the SME property lending Bank of choice. The recent brand launch ‘The Decisive Bank’ is a strong example of the direction the bank is going in.”
Simon Bateman, chief executive of Recognise Bank, adds: “Bringing in someone of Julian’s calibre shows how far we have come as a Bank in such a relatively short space of time.
“Fintech plays such an important part of any banks operational and strategic roadmap and so Julian’s detailed knowledge of this sector, will undoubtedly be key as we build our capabilities for our borrowers, savers and brokers and continue to lead as ‘The Decisive Bank’.”
Steve Pateman, chairman of Recognise Bank, says: “Julian’s appointment provides an extra level of depth and experience to our Executive team and is a testament to Simon’s unrelenting aim to drive the Bank’s profitability and to deliver the best possible lending and savings products to SMEs and savers respectively.”
Recognise Bank said it remains focused on expanding its intermediary proposition, providing relationship-led lending solutions for brokers and their clients across a broad range of commercial property transactions.
