Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 21
THE
BANK
THAT
HELPS
YOU
GROW
There remains a common perception
that banks aren’t lending to business, but
according to HSBC’s heads of business
and corporate banking in the North East of
England, this is a misconception,
In the first six months of 2014, HSBC
helped more than 3.810 SMEs in the North
East of England and Yorkshire. This included
a £2.45m equipment package for Darlingtonbased subsea services company Modus
Seabed intervention, which secured finance
from the bank’s £100m SME fund for North
East businesses.
Emerald Biogas, the £8m anaerobic
digestion plant owned by brothers Adam and
“We have a mandate to lend
money. We want to support
ambitious businesses.
”
Pat Dellow, HSBC North East
head of business banking.
Anthony Warren on Aycliffe Business Park,
also benefited.
“We believed in the brothers and their
business plan, says Pat Dellow, HSBC North
”
East head of business banking. “Now you
can see the success of that business and
they’re looking at expanding.
”
HSBC celebrates its 150th anniversary in
2015, and area director of corporate banking
North East Tony Leech is committed to
helping the region’s business invest and
grow.
With that in mind, HSBC has remodeled its
business and corporate teams.
“We approve something like 85% of
requests, says Leech. “We have a mandate
”
to lend money. We want to support ambitious
businesses.
”
Dellow and Leech are now seeing their
customers emerge from recession. “It was
very scary for a lot of our customers, says
”
Dellow. “Sectors like construction shut down
overnight. It’s easy to support a business
when it’s doing well, but you also need to be
there when there are challenges.
”
Dellow and Leech are both from the North
East, the former from Low Fell in Gateshead
and the latter from Burnopfield, Co.
Durham, and they have 73 years of banking
experience between them.
“We don’t like sitting behind a desk, says
”
Dellow. “The best part of our job is seeing
a client, understanding their aspirations and
playing a part in helping them to achieve
that. Then, when you see that factory or
warehouse being built or that start-up grow,
it’s a great feeling.
”
GEOFF RAMM
ENTERTAINS
AT LATEST
HARLANDS
EVENT
Harlands Accountants hosted the final
Business Builder Workshops of 2014 in
December as they continue to bring the
world’s leading business speakers to the
North East.
The County Durham-based accountants
invited local lad Geoff Ramm to speak to a
packed room full of business minded guests
at Durham County Cricket Club.
This was the third instalment of the event
programme specifically designed to help
build better businesses in the North East and
Managing Director of Harlands, Glyn Davison
was delighted with the feedback received.
He said: “We’ve had a great reaction to
the speaker once again and 50% of available
spaces for our next event in February 15
were booked the very next day.
”
Business Durham partnered this
successful event where Geoff Ramm took
the guests on a journey of memorable
real life customer service stories and
observations that left the audience
members’ minds buzzing with new ideas.
The next Harlands business builder
workshop is on 24th February 2015 with a
keynote from successful author, speaker
and entrepreneur Mark Rhodes. Mark is the
author of ‘Think your way to success’ and
his most recent book is titled ‘How to talk to
Absolutely Anyone’ which will be the focus of
Februarys talk. Glyn continued;
“We decided to book Mark after we saw
him speak at an accountancy conference in
2014, added Glyn.
”
“Mark was fantastic and extremely well
received by the whole audience. He has
some great ideas and innovations and
puts them across in an entertaining and
professional manner. I would recommend
Mark to any business that wants to develop
and grow so thought we’d bring him to the
North East”
The content of this Business Builder
Workshop will focus on the theme of
communication and the fact that every
conversation could be the start of something
new; a new career, a new business idea or a
new friendship. When you clam up in public
you close off all of those opportunities. “How
to Talk to Absolutely Anyone” is designed to
help people see conversation differently; as
an enjoyable, positive activity that might just
change your life!
If the next event is of interest to you,
places for this event can be booked via
https://how-to-talk-to-anyone.eventbrite.
co.uk