Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) announced the appointment of Jamie Drummond Smith as a non-executive director today (June 4^th 2014).  The news comes shortly after the Bank’s May 2014 announcement of the appointment of former First Direct Chair and HSBC General Manager Graham Picken as Chairman, and regulatory approval for its acquisition by Alchemy Special Opportunities Fund II LP (Alchemy).  HTB Chief Executive, Mark Sismey-Durrant also confirmed that the bank will focus on providing specialist finance to the SME sector and experienced SME housebuilders.

Jamie is a Chartered Accountant and spent 25 years with Deloitte, where he was a Partner in the Corporate Finance division.  Following his departure from Deloitte, Jamie held two full-time positions as Finance Director, first with Barbon Insurance Group Limited and then with Cattles Plc during the company restructure.

In addition to his position at Hampshire Trust Bank, Jamie will remain a non-executive director of Cattles and Chair of its audit and risk committee.  He is also a non-executive director and Chair of the audit committee of Arthur J Gallagher (UK) Limited.

Speaking of his appointment, Jamie says: “I am very excited to be joining the bank at such an important time in its history.  The management team has succeeded in attracting significant new investment and in building a board and management team with the right track record and specialist skills to deliver really high service standards to UK SMEs.   Customers have had too little choice both as savers and borrowers, and Hampshire Trust Bank adds a further element of choice in our chosen fields.”

Mark Sismey-Durrant, who has led the bank since his appointment as CEO in 2012, adds:  “Jamie brings with him a wealth of experience and a fantastic understanding of the funding challenges faced by small and medium sized businesses.  He is an important addition to a very experienced team who are all committed to steady growth and the long term success of both our customers and Hampshire Trust Bank.  The board share a common vision for HTB; it will be a high quality, traditional bank focused on personal service, consistently competitive savings products and specialist lending services delivered by sector and subject matter experts.”