Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has appointed Sue Pengelly as business development manager (BDM) for the South West of England.

Pengelly will be based at BFS’s South West office in Bristol and joins a team of seven BDMs, alongside nine other employees responsible for new business generation and client relationship management.

The South West team wrote a total of 126 deals last year and the business anticipates similar growth for the region in 2019.

In her new role, Pengelly will primarily focus on securing new business opportunities for BFS, with a focus on Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

Joining BFS with over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector, Pengelly has held a diverse range of positions across the South West, specialising in invoice finance.

Most recently, she worked as a business development executive for Balance for Business, an introducer based in Plymouth, where she assisted with sourcing funding solutions totalling £8m for South West businesses in 2018.

She has also held roles as a relationship manager at both Clydesdale Bank and Barclays – for six and 13 years respectively – as well as a local company, where she managed a business portfolio in Devon and Cornwall.

Pengelly said: “BFS is currently writing one in every two factoring facilities for small businesses in the South West and has an excellent local support network, from businesses to brokers.

“For many years the business has maintained a high position in The Times Top 100 Best Companies to work for, so it was an easy decision for me to come on-board. I’m excited to join the team and support BFS on its journey to becoming the funder of choice for the South West.”

Terry Burke, head of sales for BFS – South West, added: “Sue joins the team at an exciting time, as we look ahead to 2019. She brings with her valuable experience and extensive regional expertise, which will help us as we seek to expand our reach and fund SMEs further afield in the region.”