White Oak Leases & Loans announces Chief Risk Officer and Chief Credit Officer to strengthen UK business

07 April 2021

White Oak Leases & Loans has announced that it is strengthening its executive team in the UK with the hires of a Chief Risk Officer and Chief Credit Officer. The appointments see the lender build on the recent success which has seen £315 million in CBILS loans provided to SMEs across the UK.

Nick Isaacs has been hired as Chief Risk Officer of White Oak Leases & Loans and is responsible for the implementation and execution of lending strategies as well as sharing oversight over credit policies. He brings over 20 years’ experience having held senior roles at multinational and fintech lenders, most recently as Chief Credit Risk Officer at Future Finance.

Chris Heeley has been appointed as Chief Credit Officer. Chris is a White Oak Leases & Loans veteran having been involved in the business since 1999 and progressing through the ranks holding multiple roles across the credit function. Chris has been instrumental in the delivery of the CBILS programme and in his new role will oversee the credit function including its lending division, external funder support and internal underwriters.

With offices in London, Glasgow, Southampton, Manchester and Ewloe in Wales, White Oak benefits from national coverage. White Oak has almost 200 UK-based professionals who have approved loans for SMEs and mid-sized corporates around country with 80% lent to SMEs outside of London.

Nick Isaacs, Chief Risk Officer of White Oak Leases & Loans said:

In the time I’ve been at White Oak I’ve been impressed with the quality of teams across the UK dedicated to providing fast solutions to businesses with as much flexibility as possible. It’s exciting to be a part of that as we look at the lending strategy for what remains a challenging period for the UK’s SME community.

Chris Heeley, Chief Credit Officer of White Oak Leases & Loans said:

I’ve been at White Oak for over 20 years and remain committed to delivering the support our clients need to thrive. In the past 12 months we’ve come up against the most significant challenges the sector has ever faced, and I’ve been proud of the team’s ability to respond to quickly to get support to clients.

Andy Davies, Managing Director of White Oak Leases & Loans, said:

It’s great to be able to have both Nick and Chris in senior roles at White Oak and I’m confident that both will contribute to the bright future of the business. We are committed to supporting SMEs and trust is key to delivering that, which is what both appointments bring.

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