46 finance
HSBC ready for increased post-Election business activity
With the General Election imminent, political uncertainty is at a high. However, many Thames Valley companies have already voted for post- Election activity – having confidently made decisions to determine their own business future – whatever the outcome at Westminster, writes John Burbedge
Other companies are awaiting the Election result and its likely coalition complications, but are equally capable of deciding their own destinies. They have paid down debt or become cash-rich during the cost-conscious post-recession recovery years. And, they have now rebalanced their gearing ratios and refinanced loans to make themselves ready to undertake strategic growth objectives.
That’s the view of leading HSBC corporate bankers Jon Stradling and Nick Hicks, who have daily dealings with some of the UK’s most influential southern-based businesses.
“People are not disregarding external events, but 2015 seems to have started with businesses ready to make investment decisions because now is simply the right time for their company,” commented Hicks.
That personal local awareness and industry insight has helped HSBC to recently strengthen and re-align its important Thames Valley corporate banking team to provide “seamless, efficient and value-added services” for companies. Locally, HSBC has now structured itself as the natural go-to bank for businesses, large or small, trading locally or internationally.
Predominantly based in Apex Plaza beside Reading Station, the HSBC area team covers the banking business needs of SMEs, midmarket companies, and private-equity backed and multinational corporates within Berkshire, Oxfordshire and North Hampshire.
Whether it is investment in growth, working cash assistance, a structured loan, access to debt and capital markets, M&A advisory or co-ordinating international payments or guarantees, for example, the needs of big or small companies in the area are now fully covered by the Thames Valley team.
“I believe we are the only major bank in the Thames Valley offering such a wide range of banking facilities to the core domestic business markets, while dealing with national and international requirements of all types. Certainly, HSBC Thames Valley is the only bank, outside London, directly looking after FTSE 100 clients,” said Stradling, HSBC regional managing director for large corporates, south region.
Nick Hicks, who has recently been appointed as HSBC’s Thames Valley corporate banking area director, said: “We don’t have any management ‘silos’ here. We all work together to fulfil the different needs of our clientbase, through an holistic approach to business support.”
With their long-standing local knowledge and industry
www.businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2015 Jon Stradling (left) and Nick Hicks
experience, Jon Stradling and Nick Hicks, together with Richard Povey (private-equity backed companies), Julian Brockman (inward subsidiaries), Alan Bottomley and Ian Nash (SME clients), collectively focus on resolving the financial growth needs of all types of Thames Valley businesses.
Self-confessed Newbury family man and ‘sports-dad chauffeur’ to three sons, Hicks has worked in banking since joining NatWest in 1987 and subsequently RBS until 2012. He moved to the Thames Valley in 2006, and joined HSBC in 2013.
“HSBC has a product suite and balance sheet that is unparalleled. There’s no other bank with our global and domestic capabilities and we need to take that message to the market and make businesses aware of it,” said Hicks.
In the past five years the HSBC Thames Valley has doubled its team of relationship directors and formed talented and knowledgeable support teams based in Reading, Oxford and Basingstoke.
Recent new hires include Gareth Evans, Martin Dakin, Claire McEwen, Kam Sondhi and Alan Davis, and additional hires are expected.
The HSBC area can now call on 77 relationship directors/ product partners and 34 support service staff to cope with the expected increase in Thames Valley business activities later this year.
“The cost of financing remains at record low levels and our dialogue with clients and prospects is reflected in a strong pipeline,” added Stradling, pointing out that HSBC was involved with four of the five shortlisted ‘Over £25m Deal of the Year’ nominees at this year’s Thames Valley Deal Awards*.
*HSBC has been judged ‘Bank of the Year’ in The Business Magazine’s Thames Valley Deals Awards for six of the past seven years.
Details:
www.business.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60