Validate appoints new managing director as lender demand grows
Validate, a valuation provider supporting specialist lenders and challenger banks, has appointed Louise Shute as managing director.
Louise is a fellow chartered accountant with a broad background in senior finance and operational leadership. She trained with Mazars and KPMG before moving into industry, where she held senior finance roles with several well-known brands. She then took a head of finance role within a diversified group spanning construction, care homes, automotive and software, before building and leading a finance function from the ground up for a private equity-backed care home group.
Most recently, Louise was chief financial officer of Hollybank Trust, a £26m multi-site care organisation with over 750 staff, where her remit extended beyond finance to include HR, IT and estates, alongside leading acquisitions and bank refinancing.
Louise has led multiple bank refinancing processes throughout her career, taking direct responsibility for covenant compliance and lender reporting. This has given her a strong understanding of the information, governance and assurance lenders require when making funding decisions. She also brings extensive experience of leading organisational change and business transformation, helping organisations improve efficiency, strengthen governance and support sustainable growth, all of which will support Validate through its next stage of growth.
The appointment comes as Validate continues to invest in its team and its services, reflecting growing demand from lenders for fast, RICS-compliant desktop valuations, alongside its wider range of services spanning valuation auditing, progress reports and loan book reviews.
Stephen Todd, founder of Validate, comments: “Louise brings exactly the calibre of leadership and operational rigour we need as Validate continues to grow. Having managed lender relationships, refinancing processes and covenant reporting throughout her career, she understands the importance of providing lenders with reliable information and assurance to support decision-making. Her track record of building resilient, scalable operations across a range of ambitious businesses will be invaluable as we invest in new systems and expand our service offering.”
Louise adds: “I’m excited to be joining Validate and building on the strong foundations that Stephen and the team have created. What attracted me to the business was its reputation for quality, the expertise of its people and its commitment to client service. My background has focused on helping organisations grow through strong leadership, operational improvement and investment in people and technology. As the business continues to develop, my priority will be to support our team, strengthen our capabilities and ensure we continue to deliver the high levels of service, expertise and responsiveness that our clients value.