Shire Leasing Plc’s Finance Director, Helen Lumb, gave an informative talk to audience members last Thursday at a conference hosted by the British Business Bank. Held at the Old Library inside The Custard Factory, the conference was held to highlight the growth of alternative finance in the UK and the advantages this has had for independent funders such as Shire Leasing Plc.
British Business Bank CEO, Keith Morgan, initiated proceedings, delivering a keynote speech, outlining the current state of alternative finance in the UK. Speaking to a full house, Morgan was keen to emphasize the commitment of the British Business Bank to altering the current state of the UK finance industry in a move that would see ‘more finance, more choice and more information’.
At around midday, the floor was opened up for questions to the conference’s panel of funding providers. For Helen Lumb, questions revolved around Shire’s investment boost from the British Business Bank and the impact this has had on Shire’s ability to fund new businesses. Having come prepared with buckets of knowledge and an armoury of case studies, Helen was able to inform audience members of the drastic improvements made by the investment support of the British Business Bank, which has enabled Shire Leasing Plc to penetrate previously untapped sectors such as agriculture.
The conference was concluded by a final talk from Keith Morgan and British Business Bank Chairman, Ron Emerson. The two were both adamant that the British Business Bank will continue to work with and support its partners in an effort to reach more small and medium sized businesses.
Helen’s place on the conference’s panel came as a result of her specialist knowledge and experience. Having started her career as a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young, she later joined tyre manufacturer, Pirelli, where she had a number of different financial roles. In 2003 Helen was recruited as Shire’s Financial Director, where she oversaw the company’s financial undertakings for 5 years. In 2008 Helen left Shire to start her own freelancing business for 6 years, which included running her own training company for finance professionals and becoming an executive coach. Returning to Shire in 2014, she resumed her position as Financial Director and now sits on both the Management and Executive Boards.
