HSBC has made a number of key appointments to its Bristol and Bath Commercial Centre, bringing in Nick Stork and Chris Jones as area commercial director and deputy area commercial director respectively.
The team has also been bolstered by Paul Williams’ appointment as senior international commercial manager and Lee Newman as senior commercial manager.
HSBC said the appointments strengthen its presence in the region, ensuring it offers comprehensive support to businesses trading internationally and domestically.
Mr Stork will manage the bank’s commercial banking operations in the region and report to Gary Burton, regional commercial director for the South West and Wales.
In this role he will focus on supporting businesses turning over between £2m and £30m and ensuring that HSBC continues to meet the needs of its commercial clients.
Mr Stork has been with HSBC for seven years, most recently as divisional invoice finance manager for the South West and Wales. He is a chartered accountant, having trained with PwC, and held group accountant and financial controller roles prior to joining HSBC.
He said: “I’m looking forward to providing both new and existing customers in Bristol and Bath with the support needed to achieve their domestic and international growth plans. This team has a strong deal background and has many years’ experience of working on transactions that have helped businesses achieve their goals. It was important that we brought people in who have solid deal experience and can help and guide customers and I’m confident that the Bristol and Bath business community will feel the benefit.”
Mr Jones has been with HSBC for 35 years and joins the centre from a senior role in the Cornwall area. He has spent the majority of his HSBC career working with SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) customers and within the South West and Wales regions, including a spell as head of commercial for the Bath area in the mid-2000s.
Mr Williams has been with HSBC for 16 years, predominantly in commercial roles throughout Wales. He will focus on supporting businesses turning over between £2m and £30m trading, or aspiring to trade, internationally.
HSBC is doubling its number of international commercial managers in the South West to 27 and Paul’s appointment brings the number of international commercial managers in Bristol and Bath to four.
Mr Newman takes the role of senior commercial manager, focussing on supporting domestic customers. He has been with HSBC for 24 years and has spent the majority of career in Wales working with SME-sized businesses.
Mr Burton added: “These appointments bolster an already impressive team in the Bristol and Bath area and demonstrate HSBC’s commitment to providing excellent service to its customers. We are growing our international presence in the region to help local businesses open up overseas markets.”
