Three new board members with expertise in business funding, strategy and digital marketing have been elected onto the Board at BCRS Business Loans.
Norman Price OBE, formerly Chair of the West Midlands Regional Finance Forum; Sukie Rapal, Head of Digital at The Midcounties Co-operative and Geoff Edge, Managing Director of Geonomics Ltd and former Chief Executive of West Midlands Enterprise Ltd are to join the eight strong Board to advise on the strategic direction of BCRS Business Loans.
Paul Kalinauckas, Chief Executive of BCRS Business Loans, said: “We are delighted to welcome Norman, Sukie and Geoff onto our Board. We know that their varied skill set and expertise will be incredibly valuable as we work towards scaling our lending up to £10 million per annum.
“Norman brings with him extensive experience after working in industry at directorship level and more recently as a key influencer in public policy at national and West Midlands level. Notably, Norman has played a pivotal role in establishing previous venture capital funds and transformation loan funds in the region.
“Sukie joined The Midcounties Co-operative in 2017 as Head of Digital – Specialist Retail after a successful marketing career in the cruise industry, which, amongst several achievements, saw her develop a marketing strategy that helped a small travel retailer grow to become one of the top five cruise retailers in the UK.
“Meanwhile, Geoff is a senior and experienced management consultant. Formerly, he was Chairman and Chief Executive of WM Enterprise, a venture capital and consultancy company that had around £90 million of funds under management to invest in smaller companies wishing to grow”, commented Paul.
Since 2002 BCRS Business Loans has lent over £38 million to businesses in the West Midlands that are struggling to access finance from traditional lenders.
These Board appointments come at an exciting time for BCRS after being appointed fund manager for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund in September 2017 which will see the organisation deliver in excess of £17 million over the next few years.
“Like us, they have a great passion for supporting the growth of local businesses. Norman and Geoff have excellent knowledge of our sector and Sukie’s digital marketing is second to none and will help us improve our online presence. Together, by combining a great number of skills, we are going to ensure that no viable business goes unsupported by increasing our lending,” concluded Paul.
To discover more about BCRS Business Loans, visit bcrs.org.uk or call 0345 313 8410.
