SWIG Group Refreshes its Board with Four New NED Appointments

The SWIG Group has announced the appointment of four new non-executive directors (NEDs) as part of a Board refresh.

The new NEDs are:

Carmen Peacock, Carmen has an impressive track record in corporate debt and relationship banking, working with companies of all sectors and sizes across the UK to support with complex financing needs and achieve their strategic plans. She currently works for Lloyds Bank as Head of Private Capital, leading a national team covering some of UK’s largest innovators and employers. She is also the Head of South West & South Wales for Corporate & Institutional Banking, responsible for a team of specialist sector bankers supporting large regional businesses. In addition, Carmen is the current Chair of the CBI South West, collaborating with some of the region’s most influential corporates, being the voice of regional businesses in shaping national policy and contributing to the South West narrative to help the region thrive and grow sustainably. 

Harry Partington, Harry is an experienced Non-Executive Director. Alongside his role at SWIG, he is an NED and Board Chair of Brighter Places, Bristol's largest independent provider of social housing. He is also Chair of Trustees of Southern Brooks, a South Gloucestershire focused community development and health & wellbeing charity. He previously spent 9 years on the Board of a South West focused community bank now called Great Western Credit Union, where he was also Chair for 7 years. Harry has spent most of his 35-year career within a wide range of leading financial services organisations such as Lloyds Banking Group and former building society, Bristol & West, operating at director level across commercial, proposition and marketing functions. He also ran a management consultancy business, which helped organisations to develop and deliver their transformation & growth strategies. Harry is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Find out more about Harry here.

Gonzalo Trujillo, is an experienced Non-Executive Director, entrepreneur, investor and financial strategist with a strong background in SME growth, sustainable investment, and governance. Based in Bristol, he brings over two decades of experience leading businesses across sectors including food, digital technology, construction services, and infrastructure. Gonzalo holds leadership roles in Think Drinks, Assured Digital Technologies, Pieminister and AgileBase and has been instrumental in founding and scaling purpose-driven ventures in the region. A Chartered Accountant and Brunel University engineering graduate, he combines financial acumen with a deep commitment to social impact, sustainability, and regional economic development. Find out more about Gonzalo here.

David McCarthy, who joins us with over 35 years' experience in banking and Finance. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Touche Ross and subsequently as a corporate Treasurer. David has sat on several bank and building society boards and has held a number of senior positions up to Chief Financial Officer in large and small businesses including Bank of Ireland, Britannia, Bristol & West and Tandem Bank. In 2014 he co-founded Atom Bank which was the first digital bank in the UK. A graduate of the University of Bristol, David joins us with a passion for this region and looks forward to using his experience in helping SWIG develop and thrive. Find out more about David here.

The new NEDs will join Christine Allison, Chair of the SWIG Group, Bill Baker, Chair of SWIG Capital, Rebecca Pritchard, Chair of SWIG Finance, and NEDs David Brown and Winston Duguid.

Of the new appointments, Christine commented “Carmen, Harry, Gonzalo and David bring a huge amount of talent and experience to the SWIG Board. Together with forthcoming changes at the senior executive level, SWIG is poised to further grow the scope and impact of our financial services to small businesses throughout the South West. In the immediate future this will be facilitated by a £10m capital injection from the Community Investment Enterprise Fund, sitting alongside various British Business Bank and other funds. I’d like to thank Vanessa Moon and Simon Quinn of Moon Executive Search, who undertook this very successful recruitment campaign on our behalf”.

For more information about these appointments and the various SWIG funds please contact Lisa Nathan, Marketing Manager at lisanathan@swigfinance.co.uk.

About the South West Investment Group (SWIG)

SWIG has been operating for almost 30 years, providing various forms of debt finance to small businesses through the greater South West.

To date, SWIG has invested more than £160 million in some 5500 businesses, largely unsecured loans ranging from £500 to £250,000. These are typically start-up and early stage businesses that are outside the risk appetite of the major banks.

Over the years, SWIG has benefitted from close association with Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank, Triodos Bank, Unity Trust Bank, the British Business Bank and Better Society Capital, all sources of lending capital. To find out more about the SWIG Group, please visit the SWIG Group webpage.