
Regional Business Lender Appoints New Chief Executive
03 Apr 2020
Published in: Member News
West Midlands based BCRS Business Loans has appointed a new chief executive as it heralds another record year of lending.
The alternative
business lender has announced that Stephen Deakin will step up to the role of chief
executive, taking over from founding member Paul Kalinauckas who retired at the
end of March.
Stephen has been finance
director and a member of the senior leadership team at the not-for-profit
lender for the past six years and has a background in accountancy.
During his time as FD,
Stephen has seen lending at BCRS increase by 122 per cent since 2014 and has been
instrumental in securing over £40 million in funding to expand its support for
businesses across the West Midlands that are unable to access finance from
traditional lenders.
Discussing his
appointment as chief executive, Stephen Deakin said:
“I am thrilled to be
announced as chief executive at an organisation I am truly passionate about and
consider myself lucky to be working alongside such a brilliant team at BCRS.
“We are starting the
new financial year bolstered by a record period of lending that saw us deliver
over £9 million to businesses in the West Midlands. But we are also aware of
the challenging environment in which we find ourselves currently due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
“As ever, we remain
committed to our mission to leave no viable business unsupported, which is why
we are working tirelessly to launch the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan
Scheme (CBILS) as an accredited lender through the British Business Bank.
“I relish the
opportunity to lead BCRS’ continued growth with a friendly, understanding and
flexible approach to providing finance to small businesses, who are vitally
important to the prosperity of our economy.”
Rob Hill, Chair of
the Board at BCRS Business Loans, said:
“The Board are
delighted to confirm that Stephen is stepping up to the role of chief
executive. With extensive experience and a proven commitment to our values,
Stephen has demonstrated his ability to lead BCRS through its next stage of
growth.
“I would also like to
express our appreciation to the whole team for their continued dedication and
professionalism and thank departing chief executive Paul for all he has helped
BCRS achieve over the past eighteen years. We are looking forward to a very
bright future for BCRS Business Loans as we increase our support for businesses
across the region.”
To discover more about
BCRS Business Loans visit www.bcrs.org.uk.
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