GC Business Finance appoints Yvonne Greeves as chair of Board of Directors
GC Business Finance (GCBF), the UK leading alternative business finance provider anchored in Greater Manchester and part of the Growth Company, has appointed Yvonne Greeves as the organisation’s new chair of the Board of Directors to drive long-term sustainable growth.
With a career spanning over two decades within financial services, Yvonne is a successful strategic leader with an established external network and industry profile underpinning a track record of delivering tangible benefits to both internal and external stakeholders.
Most recently, Yvonne is head of Women in Business at NatWest Group, where she is responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of the Women in Business (WIB) Programme across the UK for the NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland & Ulster Bank brands.
As well as sitting on GCBF’s board as a non-executive director since January 2020, Yvonne is also chair at Scottish business support group, Firstport. She previously held board positions at board diversity charity, Changing the Chemistry; female empowerment social enterprise, MsMissMrs; and the Scottish government’s Women in Enterprise Action Group and Women & Girls Sports Advisory Board.
In her new role as GCBF’s chair of the Board of Directors, Yvonne will work with the other board members to support the senior leadership team to achieve the organisation’s objectives for long term sustainable growth, and to advocate for GCBF’s work within the wider ecosystem in Greater Manchester and across the UK.
Commenting on her appointment, Yvonne said: “GCBF is operating in a unique space, supporting businesses that have been unable to access more traditional sources of finance. I am passionate about reaching those communities that are often overlooked or feel that entrepreneurship isn’t for them. We offer the valuable income source to businesses when they often need it most to get started.
“Access to finance is often cited as the number one barrier that entrepreneurs face when setting up and scaling a business, so we play a critical role to many business owners starting out on their journey. Having a positive first experience when accessing finance can have a long-lasting effect on a business. We want more businesses in the UK to be able to access capital when required and I see GCBF as being critical in this.
“I am particularly excited to see the long-term impact that GC Investment Partners can have in delivering seed equity finance to accelerate some of the most exciting innovation business in the North West. It’s an honour to now be chair of the Board of Directors and to lead GCBF through this next phase.”
Paul Breen, director of business finance at the Growth Company, said: “With extensive experience on boards and driving major projects such as RBS Group’s WIB Programme, Yvonne is key to the future success of GCBF and will offer critical leadership of our Board of Directors.
“Yvonne’s strategic capabilities, specialist market knowledge and national profile will be transformational for our organisation, and essential in our work as a leading alternative provider of finance to businesses across the UK.”
