Yorkshire Bank has appointed Richard Kennerley as head of acquisition finance and capital solutions.  The new position consolidates the bank’s push into this sector and illustrates its desire to offer fully integrated financial solutions to its customer base.

Rick joined Yorkshire Bank in 1996 to set up a presence in Manchester and rose to the position of director responsible for all commercial and private banking across the North West and Midlands region.  In his new role, Rick is tasked with growing the acquisition finance business across both Yorkshire Bank and sister Bank Clydesdale’s nationwide network of Financial Solutions Centres.

The new acquisition finance and capital solutions team will assist businesses looking for advice and funding for corporate acquisitions.  The support offered to businesses will be localised and operated out of the key regional centres of Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and London and will support the network of more than 75 Financial Solutions Centres the bank has across the UK.

By offering an acquisition finance facility to its customers, who are refered to as members, the bank aims to attract new business at a key time in a company’s development.  The new acquisition finance service also adds to the bank’s current business services which range from commercial lending, treasury and wealth management, as well as private and transaction banking.

Rick Kennerley comments "I believe that we can really grow our business by increasing the range of services that we are able to offer to our membership base.  Acquisition Finance and Capital Solutions are specialist areas and ones that will help grow our revenues and allow us to work with businesses at key stages of their development."

David Thorburn, chief operating officer for Yorkshire Bank comments "Rick as been with us for more than 10 years and has a successful record of growing businesses - both ours and those of our members.  We believe that developing this enhanced service under his leadership is the next logical step to fulfilling an holistic banking package for our members."

Rick, who will run the acquisition finance and capital solutions business from the bank's offices in Manchester, is also looking to grow his team with further senior appointments to the regional offices.  Brian Colquhoun, currently the managing partner of Yorkshire Bank's Coventry Financial Solution Centre, will step into Rick's shoes and run the financial solutions centres across the North West and Midlands. Brian has worked with Yorkshire Bank for over 27 years and will continue to work from the Coverntry base.

Over the last two years YorkshireBank has focused its activities on developing a new model of banking that is attractive to private individuals as well as corporate customers - where integrated business solutions are offered to commercial businesses, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals.

Rick, 43, joined Yorkshire Bank from Hill Samuel, where he was a business development manager with responsiblity for acquisition finance and corporate restructuring.  Before occupying this role, he spent 10 years with Natwest.  Rick is a qualified banker and a Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.