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Our Team

Driving the company forward is a dedicated team of professional people who care about our customers.

When you call BCRS Business Loans you are not connected to a remote call centre – you speak to real people who understand the business of business.

BCRS_The Team Holding Board & Logo

Senior Leadership Team

Stephen Deakin BSC (Hons), FCCA: Chief Executive

Stephen is Chief Executive of BCRS Business Loans. With extensive experience in the finance sector, Stephen has secured over £40 million in funding and is responsible for leading and shaping the strategic direction of BCRS.

Fun:
Stephen is chair of governors at a local school and is a season ticket holder at West Bromwich Albion.
Stephen has recently discovered a passion for surfing and can be seen frequently struggling on the Welsh waves.
Aside from this, he likes spending time with his children, enjoys music and plays the bass guitar.

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Emma Leigh: Finance Director

Emma joined BCRS in September 2024 having enjoyed a varied career – successfully running her own accountancy practice focused on providing accountancy support and leadership to SME’s, working for Barclays as the Barclaycard Group Financial Controller, and more recently, providing integration and leadership to the Culligan Group through a transitional phase in their business.

Joining as our Finance Director, Emma will be supporting Steve and the team to provide funding to help businesses reach their full potential.

“I am very excited to be joining the BCRS team.  Working with a team focused on supporting and developing SMEs sits well with my values.  The reason for me setting up and running my accountancy practice was to provide support and leadership to small businesses who needed help to navigate through the world of finance.  It feels right to be coming back into an environment who have the same goal.”

Fun:

Emma enjoys treading the boards having played roles such as “Nancy” in Oliver & “Calamity” in Calamity Jane.  She enjoys singing, dancing and acting and also plays the Clarinet.  She also enjoys throwing herself around a netball court, climbing the hills on her mountain bike and walking her dogs.

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Andrew Hustwit: Head of Business Development

Andrew is our Head of Business Development. Appointed to the role in February 2022, Andy is a key member of the leadership team, heads up seven Business Development Managers based across the West Midlands and Wales, and plays a key role in delivering BCRS’ five-year growth strategy to increase lending and social impact.

Andy first joined BCRS in March 2018, after which he spent four years as our Business Development Manager for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Andy’s background consists mostly of experience in the financial services sector, comprising of relationship manager roles for a big UK bank on both a local and regional level, but has also dabbled as a pub manager and an architectural technician.

Fun:

Andy has recently started playing golf again at his local club. Aside from this, Andy was previously a Scout leader for his local group and now sits on the executive committee.

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Staff Team

Louise joined BCRS Business Loans after an extensive career in the banking sector.

“I am looking forward to being able to say ‘yes’ to viable SMEs, understand what they do and find ways of helping them.

“We understand that accessing finance can sometimes be a problem and I would urge any business to contact us if they are having difficulty raising some or all of the finance they need.”

Areas Covered:
Louise’s key areas are Birmingham and the Surrounding Areas but for our customers and professional colleagues alike she is more than happy to travel the width and breadth of the West Midlands.

Fun:
Louise enjoys watching sports, especially football, cricket and rugby. The Six Nations is fun in her household as Louise is Welsh, her daughter is English, and her husband is Irish, so there is plenty of banter during the matches.

Like most of the nation, Louise is a mad Games of Thrones fan and tends to watch it with a glass of wine at her side.

At weekends Louise enjoys trying out different cooking recipes which normally involve a lot of spices and ghost chillies!

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Laura has been part of the finance team at BCRS since 2017. Qualified by the Association of Accounting Technicians, Laura is responsible for managing the loan books & Guarantee Scheme, reporting on social impact and preparing the management accounts.

Fun:

Laura’s favourite thing to do after a long day is to sink into the sofa and watch a new Netflix series. Apart from this, Laura is very family orientated, so spends time with them whenever she can.

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Niki has spent 32 years in finance working at Barclays. Her most memorable role at Barclays was as an Ecosystem Manager, where she supported SMEs across Wales. She took a bold step by leaving Barclays to join a high-growth startup she had been assisting, gaining firsthand experience of the startup environment.
 
Niki’s true passion lies in building strong client relationships. Now, she’s excited to continue doing just that at BCRS, where she’ll be working to support SMEs across Wales in achieving their goals.

Areas Covered:
Niki covers Wales and is excited to meet with and get to know businesses of all types across the entire region.

Fun:
Outside of her financial career, she’s a travel and culture enthusiast, and enjoys playing golf, all be it badly. Niki also loves supporting her beloved Wales in rugby and football. The six nations is her favourite time year.

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Neil joined BCRS in 2014 as Portfolio and Compliance Manager. Neil’s responsibilities include the management of the portfolio, including collections and credit sanctioning, the management of compliance, regulations and risk, and is a member of the middle management team within the organisation.

During his time at BCRS, Neil has also taken the regulatory roles of Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Compliance Officer.

“Working for BCRS for the last four years has been a hugely rewarding experience. Every day I am able to play my part in assisting businesses to achieve their long-term aspirations, whether this be approving new loans or working with clients in financial difficulties to still achieve the goals.

“BCRS is a thriving business itself. My role allows me to become involved in the nuts and bolts of how the business operates and allows me to develop my skills controlling risk, compliance and portfolio management.”

Fun:
I enjoy badminton and golf to keep fit and playing the violin and piano to relax, although now that we have two young boys running around the house, relaxing is a thing of the past!

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With an extensive background in financial services spanning many years, Graeme’s has always been rooted in contributing to the economic landscape of South Wales. Graeme has also worked in the motor industry, and most recently was involved as a manager within the NHS.

Areas Covered:
Graeme covers Wales and is eager to meet businesses across the region.

Fun:
Outside of work, Graeme enjoys playing golf when the weather allows for it.  He is also a season ticket holder at Swansea City and hopes for them to return to the Premier League soon.

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Mark Savill joined BCRS in March 2024 after successfully managing his own Mortgage Broker business for the previous 7½ years, and now brings his expertise to BCRS.

With an impressive 30-year career NatWest, including 15 years as a Relationship Manager in Commercial Banking, Mark brings a wealth of industry knowledge to our organisation.

Joining as a Business Development Manager, Mark will be supporting SMEs across Stoke & Staffordshire and its neighbouring areas.

“I’m delighted to have joined BCRS, where it has a great reputation for supporting viable and growing businesses, stepping in and providing funding when often other funders are reluctant to help. The fact that it is a non-profit organisation also attracted me – it has a genuine desire to help business and benefit the local economy, not generate profit for itself and shareholders.”

Fun:
In his time spare time Mark enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar & singing in bands, and watching football, cricket, NFL, and motor racing.

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Dave joined BCRS in May 2023, with more than 25 years of experience in commercial banking. He previously worked as a senior relationship manager at NatWest, supporting SMEs across the Black Country.

“I was attracted to BCRS as I saw the support they offer to SMEs in my former role and was impressed with just how well they work with the small business community. I’m looking forward to being able to support SMEs with the funding they need to achieve their growth aspirations.”

Areas Covered:
Dave covers  Shropshire but  is more than happy to travel across the West Midlands to support businesses

Fun:
Dave is a whisky enthusiast and knows his way around a single malt, which he enjoys while socialising with friends and family. He describes himself as a “fair weather” golfer and occasional ornithologist. 

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Karen joined BCRS in February 2023. Karen joined after studying marketing at Birmingham City University to provide support with social media, content creation, event planning and email campaigns.

Karen launched her first business in 2020 and is eager to use her experience to connect and understand BCRS’s consumers, generate innovation and increase their presence in the market..

“I was drawn to BCRS because of their values and passion for helping SMEs within the West Midlands region. I love that they are dedicated to helping the community and making a difference.”

Fun:
Outside of work, Karen enjoys spending time with family and socialising with friends. She is also an keen chef and enjoys cooking for her mum and two younger sisters.

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James has worked in the financial industry for 10 years, spending time with Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC, most recently working closely with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the business community of North Wales.

Areas Covered:
James covers Wales and is eager to meet and help businesses across the region.

Fun:
Outside of work, James enjoys spending time with his family, watching and playing sports, going for long walks with the family Labrador and getting out in the North Wales coast and countryside.

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Boasting over 25 years’ experience with the UK’s leading banks, building societies and mortgage lenders, Angie joined BCRS Business Loans in January 2016 with a great deal of experience in the commercial lending arena.

“I have a passion for supporting the funding needs of local businesses. I want to provide SMEs with finance because they truly have viable growth plans, rather than whether they satisfy credit scoring systems.

“Because I have gained extensive experience of working with businesses in the Three Counties (Worcestershire, Gloucestershire & Herefordshire), I am able to adapt my knowledge to help meet their business goals by supporting their lending needs.”

Areas Covered:
Angie’s key areas are Three Counties (Herefordshire, Gloucestershire & Worcestershire) but for our customers and professional colleagues alike she is more than happy to travel the width and breadth of the West Midlands.

Fun:
After completing a challenging 300-mile charity bicycle ride from London to Paris in mid-2016, Angie is currently planning more charity rides for the future.

Angie’s idea of utopia is spending time in Florida and exploring other US states by motorcycle with her husband. And relaxing by the pool of course – it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!

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Chris Martin has worked in credit control and accounts within the construction industry for 19 years, developing a strong aptitude for figures, procedures, and processes. Seeking a new challenge away from the construction and corporate environments, she joined BCRS in May to embrace a more personal and customer-focused approach to finance, aiming to make a meaningful impact on our world.

Fun:
Chris loves motorsport, including F1, rallying, and Moto GP, as well as watching sports in general. She was also a level 4 trained ballerina and learned to play the clarinet in school.

Kiran joined BCRS in December 2023 having spent time working in the retail, social care and finance sectors.

Joining as Head of Marketing and Impact, Kiran is focused on growing BCRS’ presence, ensuring customers continue to have a great experience with the company, as well as creating initiatives where the business can grow its socio-economic impact.

“It’s really important to me that BCRS supports businesses to grow and thrive, and we continue the great work that we do to help strengthen the communities we operate in.”

Fun:

Kiran loves to spend time with her friends and family, and loves reading.

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Mira joined BCRS Business Loans in October 2019 after graduating from the University of Wolverhampton with a first-class BA (Hons) degree in Business Management (Enterprise).

Mira is the main point of contact for dealing with and processing enquiries and loan paperwork, working with the business development team to ensure our loans process is as quick and simple as possible.

Fun:
Mira’s hobbies include cooking, taking the dogs for a long walk in the countryside and spending time with family.

When she’s not doing this, Mira enjoys watching Marvel films and is a regular concert goer – attending at least one concert a year with her favourite band being Mumford and Sons.

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Emma is Finance Manager at BCRS Business Loans and a member of the middle management team.

Emma joined BCRS as a Management Accountant in 2015, boasting extensive experience in the field of accountancy.

After starting her career, aged 18, Emma initially worked as a Purchase Ledger Clerk before progressing through the ranks to become a Management Accountant. In that time Emma gained a qualification from the Association of Accounting Technicians. Emma stepped up to the role of Finance Manager in 2021.

Fun:
When deciding on a holiday destination Emma tends to find that she is drawn back to Florida, where she can ‘get away with being a big kid’ at the theme parks.

Emma also admits to being a Harry Potter fanatic and was fortunate enough to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.

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Tony has been in finance since 1977 when he joined what was then known as Midland Bank. Professionally qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB), Tony has supported a great number of businesses with their funding needs during his career at BCRS Business Loans, which he is incredibly proud of.

Fun:
Tony is currently trying to improve his general fitness by attending local running clubs and taking weekly Thai boxing classes.

Tony also has a surprising knowledge of British birds, which comes in handy at local quizzes.

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Lynn joined BCRS Business Loans in August 2018 following a successful career in the banking sector, which saw her reach the position of Director of Business Banking.

As Business Development Manager at BCRS Business Loans, Lynn understands the needs of small and medium sized businesses and is passionate about providing them with the funding they need to grow and prosper.

“With extensive experience in business finance, the best part of my job is visiting businesses face-to-face to discuss their needs and find a way to support them. We believe that no viable business should go unsupported”.

Areas Covered:
Lynn’s key areas are Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton but for our customers and professional colleagues alike she is more than happy to travel the width and breadth of the West Midlands.

Fun:
After a busy working week, my ideal Friday night sees me head down to my local for a drink with family and friends before tucking into a curry. Besides this, I love going on holiday to either relax in the sun or go skiing for an adrenaline boost! Oh, and it’s compulsory that I go to at least one festival a year – the best being Glastonbury!

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Interested in joining our team? Click below to see our current vacancies.

Our vacancies