Trade finance and invoice finance provider Scottish Pacific has appointed Lucy Symes as Regional Business Development Manager, South West England and South Wales as the firm accelerates growth in the UK market.

Lucy, who joins from RateSetter, has a wealth of experience in consumer finance and an established relationship with brokers in the south west region. Lucy has also previously worked in the retail finance division at Close Brothers and the merchant banking division at World Pay, where she was responsible for driving the new business pipeline.

In her new role, Lucy will work with brokers and intermediaries in the south of England and south Wales to provide working capital solutions to help entrepreneurs enhance their international buying power and grow their business.

The Australian-listed business finance provider, which also has operations in New Zealand and China, expanded into the UK market in 2015 with a focus on offering a full suite of working capital finance products to SMEs across manufacturing, wholesale, retail, distribution, import and export.

Lucy Symes, said: “I’m excited to be joining the talented team at Scottish Pacific. This is a really exciting company to be part of. They offer a great product that benefits entrepreneurs right across the UK but also have a refreshing, personal approach that truly adds value to the businesses and intermediaries with whom they work.

“While it’s still early days for Scottish Pacific in the UK, the company is well-established internationally, is a specialist in SME financing, has the appetite to become a major player in the UK market and the asset backing to back up its aspirations. I look forward to working closely with new and existing contacts to raise the profile of Scottish Pacific across my territory.”

Rob Kelly, Head of Sales (UK), said: “We are delighted to have Lucy on board with us. She has a great network of contacts in the SME finance sector and, more importantly, an energy that fits right in with our ethos at Scottish Pacific.

“Her knowledge and proven track record in the market, particularly across the South West of England, will be a great asset to the team as we look to continue to build our presence in the UK market.”