finance
An international bank with a regional focus
Matt Wright sat down with Nick Hicks and Jon Stradling from HSBC to discuss their business and vision for the future of corporate banking in the Thames Valley and the South of England
There are about 100 people working in HSBC’s Corporate Banking headquarters at Apex Plaza, in the centre of Reading. This team delivers a full range of services for all sizes of clients, from small medium enterprises (SMEs), to mid-market, to large corporates (up to FTSE-100 level), and across the full range of private, public, and private equity-backed companies.
HSBC Corporate Banking, Thames Valley, across the south is organised along the following lines:
• Richard Povey (leveraged portfolio management) – based in Reading is head of the team covering the South of England, which looks after all the needs of private equity-backed businesses.
• Ian Nash – (business banking) - runs the team of relationship managers, each with their own portfolio of clients, based in Reading and Oxford; below £6.5 million turnover.
• Nick Hicks (corporate banking) – runs the mid-market team.
• Jon Stradling (large corporate) – runs the large cap team.
• Julian Brockman (inward subsidiary banking) – looks after UK and European subsidiaries of foreign companies.
Across the Thames Valley HSBC can deliver bespoke solutions for business from start- up to an IPO or other similar capital market activities.
Local expertise, national acclaim
“We’re here, we’re present, we’re transacting,” said Nick Hicks.
Whilst HSBC is an international bank, its roots are very firmly grounded in the local business communities which it serves.
Stradling draws attention to the raft of recent awards won – Thames Valley Deals Awards: HSBC holds the ‘Bank of the Year 2016’ (and won the award in seven out of the past eight years) and at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2016 HSBC gained the World’s Best Bank for Corporates title. These are seen as a testament to both HSBC’s commitment to increasing lending to UK businesses, and to the consistency of services provided over recent years.
Consequently, the Reading office is 34
businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2016
hsbc.co.uk/corporate
growing in line with this commitment, investing and expanding the team in order to provide a full-service hub for businesses in the Thames Valley.
As a global bank, HSBC is able to support domestic businesses and deliver cross border services with offices around the world, so for example, if a UK company required Singaporean banking facilities, this can all be organised and managed from the Reading office.
Putting back into grass roots
For 2016, HSBC was a key partner of the International Festival for Business – the UK’s largest ever business festival – in conjunction with UK Trade & Industry. This is designed to provide support to businesses thinking of exporting internationally.
HSBC has also set up a new national SME fund worth £10 billion, aimed at start-ups and established small firms. The new fund has been allocated in tranches across the country, including £225 million exclusively for companies in the Thames Valley region.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of the UK economy and at HSBC we are committed to providing the finance and support they need to realise their business goals,” says the Bank.
Reading as an attractive growth region
Despite the recent referendum vote, the dynamics of the Thames Valley make it a very attractive region for corporate banking,
Nick Hicks and Jon Stradling
with the ingredients of a large plc client base, dynamic technology environment, significant inward investment, and a vast pool of academic talent all combining to produce a recipe for success.
The universities in particular have been a key driver of incubating and preparing the next generation for life in the real business world.
The example of Sophos springs to Stradling’s mind; formed in 1985 by two Oxford University undergraduates, HSBC worked with this business helping it grow through to its 2015 initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange – the biggest to date for a UK software group.
Future growth outlook
“We are seeing more capital being deployed to support the next generation of businesses which are coming out of the universities. This must be good news of the future prosperity of the region,” said Jon Stradling.
The broader dynamics of the region play a considerable role, and with the advent of Crossrail on the horizon, the forecast is for stronger growth as businesses and their talent become increasingly comfortable in relocating to the Thames Valley.
Amec Foster WheelerAmec Foster Wheeler Amec Foster Wheeler
GBP 1.7bn RCF and Term Loan for refinancing existing
indebtedness and general corporate purposes
Lead Arranger
GBP 1.7bn RCF and Term Loan for refinancing existing
indebtedness and general corporate purposes
Lead Arranger Lead Arranger
GBP 1.7bn RCF and Term Loan for refinancing existing
indebtedness and general corporate purposes
Acquisition Funding Medivet
Amec Foster Wheeler
GBP 1.7bn RCF and Term Loan for refinancing existing
Acquisition Funding Medivet
indebtedness and general corporate purposes
Lead Arranger
Acquisition Funding Medivet
Communications
SouthernSouthernSouthern Communications
Funding to accelerate expansion plans over the next 3-5 years
Joint Lead Arranger
Funding to accelerate expansion plans over the next 3-5 years
Acquisition Funding Medivet
Joint Lead Arranger
Communications
Funding to accelerate expansion plans over the next 3-5 years
Joint Lead Arranger
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