Alternative finance lender, Reward Finance Group, has further supported its expansion aims across Yorkshire by appointing an experienced relationship manager to join the team at its Leeds head office.

Anthony Cope has been appointed to meet the needs of Reward’s growing client portfolio in the region, having worked within the financial sector for over 25 years. He spent the majority of his career in a similar client-facing role at Yorkshire Bank (now Virgin Money) before recently moving into the growth funding space at The FSE Group.

With Reward providing property investors and SMEs with tailored business finance loans and asset based solutions of up to £5m, Anthony will primarily be tasked with supporting new clients on a face-to-face basis with their ongoing borrowing requirements.

Commenting on his new role, Anthony said:

“Reward is one of the largest and most established alternative finance lenders across the UK and on a terrific growth path, so I jumped at the opportunity to be part of its success. Having spent so much time in the banking sector, I’ve seen first-hand the pressures and obstacles SMEs face when trying to access finance and the critical role alternative lenders like Reward play in providing fast and flexible funding solutions to meet that need."

“I’m looking forward to working closely with our clients across the region and supporting them along their borrowing journey, to help them unlock further business opportunities and growth.”

Chris Ibbetson, Reward’s regional operations manager, added:

“Our entire business is built on forging strong relationships, especially across our SME and property investor client portfolio, and so Anthony is a key appointment. He brings a wealth of financial and client services knowledge and experience to the role which will further bolster our expansion plans and hugely talented team in our Leeds head office.”