Montane Finance expands with new unsecured lending division to fund growing SMEs
A specialist independent finance broker has expanded its offering with a new division providing commercial lending of up to £1m for growing SMEs.
The new arm of Montane Finance is focused on unsecured and asset-backed lending and is being spearheaded by Shareen Zaman.
Shareen, who has more than 10 years’ experience in the industry, has joined from Response Business Finance.
She has hit the ground running in her new role at Montane, working with lenders to formulate deals for a range of SMEs, including ones in the energy, hospitality and motor retail sectors.
Award-winning Montane Finance has until now focused on secured property-backed funding to support the healthcare and hospitality sectors, completing transactions totalling more than £75m in the past 12 months.
It is a division of the Montane group of businesses, which has its headquarters in Buxton and offices in Chorley and Winsford in Cheshire. The group includes Montane Care and Montane Insurance.
Montane Care is a specialist business property adviser which provides commercial advice on the sale and acquisition of care homes and childcare facilities across the UK. Montane Insurance is a boutique commercial broker for the hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Group founder and managing director Scott Murcott said: “Shareen comes with a wealth of experience in commercial lending and will help to enhance our product offering with her abundance of expertise in unsecured and asset-backed finance.
“This new role will extend our reach to SMEs across all sectors and enable us to provide a more holistic and progressive service to ambitious businesses.
“There is a significant gap in the market for this type of lending, which will be a valuable resource and means of support for our growing client base by providing them with the capability to expand and improve their cashflow.
“Shareen has superb ethics and is committed to always providing bespoke and fit-for-purpose advice to her clients. She is a great addition to the Montane team as we enter our next phase of expansion.”
Shareen, who speaks four languages, said: “As soon as I met Scott and heard about his ideas and vision, I knew it would be a great opportunity to join Montane.
“I’m excited to help build up the business, working alongside Scott’s knowledgeable and experienced team to get more lenders and clients on board.”