New head of sales takes over the reins at Bibby Financial Services in Manchester

Leading independent SME funder, Bibby Financial Services (BFS), has appointed Melanie Ince as head of sales for Manchester.

Previously head of operations for BFS in Manchester, Melanie brings 25 years of experience working in the invoice financing industry to the role. Before joining BFS, Melanie held the position of client manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance for 18 years, where she managed a roster of 350 clients across the invoice financing industry.

Commenting on her new appointment, Melanie said:

“Since joining Bibby Financial Services as head of operations in Manchester, I have gained a wide range of experience working with SMEs in a variety of industry sectors.

“In my new role as head of sales, I will be using this experience to help SMEs in the region, fostering their growth plans and positioning themselves for the future.

“For businesses in Manchester and across the North West, confidence is on the up and the region is well placed for future growth. Despite some uncertainty on the run-up to the EU Referendum, businesses have continued to invest and are in a strong position to take advantage of regional opportunities.”

Stephen Johnson, northern regional sales director for Bibby Financial Services said:

“Melanie’s extensive experience is a huge asset to the business and she is very committed to our ethos and values.

“As part of the Northern Powerhouse, Manchester is a particularly important city for BFS. In our experience, start-ups, manufacturing and engineering businesses throughout the region are seeing strong growth. Investment desires are coupled with a growing awareness of alternative forms of finance and demand for our invoice finance facilities is increasing.”

In the Q2 BFS SME Confidence Tracker, SMEs in the North West showed a growing confidence in future growth prospects with over two fifths predicting an increase in sales over the past three months.

Looking ahead, almost half (48%) are expecting sales to increase over the next three months. This was up from 45% in first quarter. This confidence helped to boost the number of businesses investing in the region, with over four fifths (81%) having invested over the past three months.

BFS supports more than 7,000 UK SMEs in more than 300 industry sectors and has 19 regional offices in the country.