PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 27
BANK
ON US!
John Martinson (second right) with his
Handelsbanken Middlesbrough team
(from left): Jon Fenwick, Adele Lock,
Alex Rance and Craig Gregory.
Tees Business co-editor Dave Allan discovers
the story behind the success of Handelsbanken
A
s John Martinson explains the story
behind the success of Handelsbanken
on Teesside, behind him stands
a pull-up banner that proudly states
‘Straightforward solutions in a complex
world’.
It’s just one of the down-to-earth
philosophies that have seen Handelsbanken
branches at both Stockton and
Middlesbrough, alongside neighbouring
branches in Darlington and Northallerton,
become major players in the local business
and personal banking market in recent years.
Just 10 years ago, the nearest
Handelsbanken branches to Teesside were
in Newcastle and Leeds. The Stockton
branch opened its doors for the first time in
2007, while its Middlesbrough counterpart
has now been open for little more than four
years. Both the Stockton and Middlesbrough
branches have grown significantly, looking
after a range of different types of businesses,
and both branches have many successful
individuals on their books.
Founded in Sweden in the 19th century,
more than 200 of Handelsbanken’s
worldwide network of 800 branches are now
in the UK.
Despite its international outlook, the bank’s
success has been built on a philosophy of
providing an entirely local service, tailored to
the needs of each individual customer.
Handelsbanken is a full-service bank with
a decentralised way of working, its strong
local presence and a long-term approach to
customer relations in striking contrast to the
direction many competitors continue to take.
It is perhaps no coincidence, therefore,
that Handelsbanken has been ranked top for
customer satisfaction among the business
and personal customers of British banks for
the last eight years (EPSI Rating, 2009-2016).
“We’re a decentralised organisation that
empowers staff to make decisions for the
customers they know and understand,” says
Middlesbrough branch manager Martinson,
who was part of Handelsbanken’s founding
Teesside branch 10 years ago.
“The fact that the majority of all decisions,
including those on borrowing, are made in
your local branch by staff you know and who
know you, means quicker decision-making
for our customers.
“We practice relationship banking whereby
the golden rule is about getting as close as
we can to our customers and community.
“Over the last few years, we have been
opening local branches, and forging ever
closer relationships with our community.
“Our motto is ‘The branch is the bank’.
We’re a large international bank that offers
every service you’d expect from a high-street
bank but everything is done locally. That
means we have the ability to be extremely
nimble, responding directly to our customers’
requests.”
Martinson says the personalised service is
something that strikes most new customers.
“Service is the big thing,” he explains.
“None of our staff have short-term incentives
or bonus targets, which means they can
focus on giving advice that’s right for the
customer, not themselves or the bank.
“And when a customer calls us, they speak
to someone they know and have actually
met.”
Between them, the Stockton and
Middlesbrough branches boast a list of
customers that reads like a Who’s Who of
the Tees business scene.
Active Chartered Financial Planners’
managing director Karl Pemberton is a
personal customer of Handelsbanken. He
says: “Some people feel like they ‘bank with
a bank’, some ‘bank with a person’. I feel
privileged to say that I bank with both!
“The working ethic of Handelsbanken
fits extremely well with myself, my family
and my business, and it truly does feel like
banking used to do. Then add to that the
personalities of the individual team members
and you cannot help but feel valued, listened
to and in safe hands.”
Handelsbanken is the trading name of Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ). Registered Office: Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), 3 Thomas More Square, London, E1W 1WY.
Registered in England and Wales No, BR 000589. Incorporated in Sweden with limited liability. Registered in Sweden No, 502007-7862. Head Office in Stockholm.
Authorised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) and the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to limited regulation by the Financial
Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulation by
the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.