Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has appointed Daniel Harding as head of sales for Sheffield.

The appointment cones as the SME funder looks to build a presence in the South Yorkshire area.

Harding has 12 years’ experience working in asset based finance and prior to joining BFS in April, was regional sales manager at Leumi ABL.

With experience of funding businesses from start-ups to those with up to £40m turnover, Harding joins BFS with a strong operational and sales background. He will manage a team of five people based throughout South Yorkshire and the funder looks to grow its support for the region’s businesses.

Harding said: “First and foremost, Bibby is a relationship-based funder, with a strong track record of supporting businesses whatever their size or need.

“Bibby is well-known for supporting smaller enterprises, but in recent years, with the formation of our corporate finance team and recent securitisation – we now have the ability to support a greater number of small, medium and large businesses.

“With the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ becoming a reality over the coming years, now is a fantastic time for businesses throughout the region to achieve their growth potential. I’m delighted to join such a forward thinking funding partner at a time of growth and look forward to boosting our support to businesses throughout South Yorkshire.”

Research from BFS’ SME Confidence Tracker report in April found that SMEs in Yorkshire plan to invest the most in their businesses over the next quarter. Yorkshire SMEs are set to invest an average of £98k over the next three months, three times the national average and more than 43% of the region’s businesses expect sales to increase over the coming months.

Stephen Johnson, Northern regional sales director for Bibby Financial Services, said: “Daniel’s sales and operations experience is a huge advantage, and he has joined at a time where we’re looking to grow our presence in and around Sheffield.

“Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire region are key areas for us. With Daniel on board, I’m confident we’ll be able to build on our already strong client and intermediary relationships to grow our funding supporting for businesses throughout the region.”