Westwood Capital Finance makes key director appointment to power its growth ambitions
Specialist SME commercial finance provider, Westwood Capital Finance has appointed Allan Underwood as its new director, to help shape the future of the business and accelerate its long-term growth ambitions
Allan joins the lender based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, having spent 35 years in the finance sector and the last 18 years in senior sales director roles at invoice and asset-based funder, Skipton Business Finance.
He will now play an instrumental role within the senior management team, by helping steer the strategic direction of Westwood which was founded in 2022 and provides fast, flexible lending solutions ranging from bridging loans to commercial mortgages.
Owned by Darren Peacock and Gareth Fawke, it fills the void left by traditional banks by lending up to £2m to SMEs, owner-managed businesses, property developers, landlords and investors.
In addition to driving business expansion through his extensive network, Allan will also be focused on sustaining high service levels to both brokers and other introducers so that end-clients can access the commercial finance needed to diversify and grow.
Commenting on his new role, Allan said: “The opportunity to join such an agile and relatively embryonic commercial finance lender like Westwood is hugely attractive to me and will be an exciting new chapter in my career. I thrive in environments like this where the focus is on service, slick decision-making processes and working collaboratively with brokers and other introducers to help businesses access tailored working capital at pace.
“The company has made fantastic strides to date and I’m very much looking forward to being part of its journey and helping provide the strategic input needed to help take it on to the next level.”
Gareth Fawke, managing director of Westwood Capital Finance, added: “Allan has demonstrated throughout his career his strong financial expertise, experience and the commercial acumen required to make solid business decisions. His ability to transform a lender like us, by forging powerful relationships across his extensive introducer network, was a key factor in his appointment and will make him such a terrific asset.
“With the business still relatively in its infancy he also joins at the perfect time to help steer the future direction of the company and introduce fresh new ideas. He is widely regarded and respected across the industry and we’re delighted to have him on board.”