Recognise Bank has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of four new lending managers, a move designed to extend the bank’s reach across England, Wales and mainland Scotland.

Luke Beirne joins as senior lending manager, while Richard Winston, Ryan Kelly and Tom Ravenscroft have been appointed as lending managers. The new recruits will work directly with brokers to support new business enquiries, structure complex deals and guide cases through to completion.

Beirne brings nearly two decades of banking experience, having held roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Aldermore. He has particular expertise in commercial, buy-to-let and bridging finance, with a career-long focus on supporting property investors and developers.

Winston has built his career in property finance through positions in relationship management, business development and credit assessment. He was most recently a relationship manager at Signature Property Finance and Cynergy Bank, with earlier roles at Habito, Shawbrook Bank, Santander Corporate & Commercial Bank and HSBC.

Kelly has spent the past ten years at Finance 4 Business, working his way up from administrative assistant to commercial finance adviser, while Ravenscroft joins from a broker role covering a wide range of property finance. Earlier in his career he was a financial crime analyst in retail banking.

Founded in 2017, Recognise Bank focuses on lending and savings solutions tailored to small and medium-sized businesses. It secured a full banking licence in 2021 and has since grown its national customer base.

Caroline Luxmore, chief commercial officer at Recognise Bank, said: “These lending manager appointments mark a significant period of growth for the bank and means our lending team has grown by 66% in the last six months. With our broker panel growing by over 300% in the same period, these appointments enable us to support more brokers and their clients around the country.

“Luke, Richard, Ryan and Tom all bring with them a huge amount of sector and market experience which complements our existing team and expands our geographical reach. We’re excited to have them on board, and they will be pivotal as we develop our lending proposition.”