NACFB Funding Future Growth – Supporting brokers across Scotland
Join us in Glasgow
Does your firm finance clients in Scotland? Or are you looking to expand your brokerage’s reach in the region? Whether you’re an experienced operator or just seeking to learn more, the NACFB’s second Funding Future Growth event at the Voco Hotel, Glasgow, could be for you.
What to expect…
Free for brokers to attend, including lunch and refreshments, the event brings together commercial intermediaries, lenders, suppliers and leading national trade bodies to explore growth opportunities for small businesses throughout Scotland. Here’s what you can expect from the session:
Agenda
10:00 – Registration & networking
Tea & coffee to be served
10:50 – Welcome & NACFB Survey insights
With Norman Chambers
In 2023 NACFB Member brokers facilitated £38 billion in lending to SMEs across the UK – a fall of 16% compared to the year before. What does this mean for brokers and their clients, including those in Scotland, and where is the market heading in 2024 and beyond? NACFB managing director, Norman Chambers, shares key insights from the largest survey in the intermediary-led commercial finance sector.
11:00 – Expert panel session and Q&A
Kieran Jones, the NACFB’s head of communications & policy, will host a small panel of experts who will share regional insights on both the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in Scotland, and the finance they need to survive and thrive.
Specifically, you’ll hear from Barry McCulloch of The British Business Bank, as well as Hisashi Kuboyama from The Federation of Small Businesses, Yvonne Balfour from Ultimate Finance and Alistair Ewing from NACFB Member firm, The Lending Channel. Crucial to sourcing appropriate funding solutions, brokers will be encouraged to participate, so come armed with questions!
11:30 – NACFB Partner: Red Flag Alert
Presentation by Richard West, managing director at Red Flag Alert.
11:45 – Meet the lenders
Representatives from lender Patrons including NatWest, Shawbrook, Atelier, Haydock, Hilco Real Estate Finance, Signature Property Finance, HSBC UK Bank, Momenta Finance, Ultimate Finance and Liberty Leasing will be attending. Chosen for the value they add to the modern commercial finance broker, there will be plenty of time to meet and learn about their offerings.
12:00 – Lunch & a listening ear
Lunch is served. A member of the NACFB team will be on hand to help with any regulatory issues you may have. They can also walk you through the latest FCA developments and directives affecting commercial finance brokers.
13:00 – Close
Speakers
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Alistair EwingManaging Director, the Lending ChannelAlistair Ewing is Managing Director of The Lending Channel. Alistair’s career started with the Clydesdale Bank in 1982 and he has been running his own brokerage since 1997. Recent personal achievements include completing the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Growth Programme in 2018, winning Business Leader of the Year at the Scottish Mortgage Awards in 2020 and subsequently a Lifetime Achievement Award at the same event in 2021.
The Lending Channel is a national property finance broker based in Perth. Directly authorised by the FCA, and fully accredited by the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers. The Lending Channel are specialists in the following areas of lending: Commercial Mortgage, Buy to Let, Short Term Finance (bridging and development finance), Second Charge, Residential Mortgage and Equity Release.
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Barry McCullochSenior Manager in Scotland, British Business BankBarry McColloch is Senior Manager in Scotland for the British Business Bank. Prior to joining the Bank in April 2022, Barry worked in a variety of policy roles across Scotland in the public, private and third sectors.
The British Business Bank are an economic development bank wholly owned by the Department for Business and Trade, but are operationally independent. They are dedicated to helping UK small businesses survive, prosper and grow. By providing better access to finance, supplying useful information and tools, and developing strong regional networks, the British Business Bank help shape the future for many smaller businesses across the UK.
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Hisashi KuboyamaDevelopment Manager (West of Scotland), The Federation of Small BusinessesHisashi Kuboyama is the Development Manager for West of Scotland at The Federation of Small Businesses. Hisashi is responsible for increasing FSB’s presence, influence and reputation in Glasgow and the West of Scotland through effective stakeholder engagement, organisational development, lobbying and media relations, representing over 6,000 SMEs.
Hisashi leads on FSB’s organisational development in the West of Scotland by identifying opportunities to build relationships and collaborating with stakeholders.
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Kieran JonesHead of Communications & Policy, NACFB -
Norman ChambersManaging Director, NACFBNorman Chambers is the managing director of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), the largest independent trade body for intermediaries in the UK commercial finance industry. Joining in 2014, he has been instrumental in the Association’s strategic growth. Adopting a progresssive approach, his work is underpinned by his commitment and drive to support Member brokers, increasing engagement with Patron lenders and Partner service providers, alongside lobbying government bodies on behalf of the commercial finance community, skilfully supported by a non-executive board.
Before joining the NACFB, Norman spent 30 years in the banking sector working for leading financial institutions including NatWest and RBS.
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Richard WestManaging Director, Red Flag AlertRichard West is the Managing Director of Red Flag Alert. A UK leader in business data intelligence and analytics for predicting early warning signs of financial distress, insolvency and growth both domestically and internationally. The company has a strong focus on innovating how business data is delivered to businesses to make it both effective and actionable.
Red Flag Alert also offer intuitive global compliance and monitoring software that have been designed to fit seamlessly into process and not present an impediment to doing business. They recently secured £4.5 million in Series A investment, led by Foresight, and are strongly focused on growth; aiming to become the UK’s leading provider of business data intelligence and analytics to predict growth, global compliance risk and insolvency by 2025.
Richard joined the business in 2013 and has 15 years of experience in sales leadership, across three continents and has generated over £20,000,000 in recurring revenue. -
Yvonne BalfourChief Marketing Officer, Ultimate FinanceYvonne is an experienced business executive, with an emphasis on marketing and business transformation. After building and running a successful marketing agency for many years, she moved into the corporate world working for Sainsbury’s Bank leading Product Marketing and Transformation projects. Yvonne is Chief Marketing Officer at Ultimate Finance Group, a specialist asset-based lender with a simple goal: to support business ambition with flexible funding solutions. Yvonne is responsible for the orchestration of marketing and business transformation, to grow the funder’s market share in asset-based lending.
