HSBC Commercial Bank has appointed Mark Harris as head of corporate for the Midlands.

Harris joins from HSBC in the North West, where he was deputy head of corporate and is responsible for supporting businesses in the region with a turnover in excess of £30 million.

He has 32 years’ experience with HSBC and has held a number of roles within commercial and corporate banking.

Mark will be supported in his new role by Midlands Deputy Head of Corporate Banking Dan Wright and leads a team of Relationship Managers dedicated to supporting businesses in all sectors with the full service capability offered by HSBC’s Midlands Corporate offices in the West and East Midlands.

He said: “My aim is to promote HSBC as the bank of choice for business and to drive our international business offering, whilst continuing to successfully service our domestic customers.

“At HSBC, we forecast that UK international trade will grow by approximately 60% over the next 15 years and businesses in the Midlands are well-placed to drive that growth. The Midlands boasts a high concentration of forward-thinking, dynamic companies across a range of sectors that are looking for ways to grow their business. International trade offers them that opening and I’d urge businesses in the region to grasp that opportunity.”

He added: “HSBC offers a truly global service. Our relationship managers in the Midlands can pick up the phone and talk to their colleagues in China, Brazil, India or any of the other countries where we have a commercial presence. These are tangible relationships and offer a true benefit to our business customers trading, or aspiring to trade, internationally.”