British Business Bank Investments, the commercial arm of the British Business Bank, has appointed Catherine Lewis La Torre as Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 September 2016.
Lewis La Torre joins British Business Bank Investments from Cardano, where she is Head of Private Equity and responsible for managing a portfolio of private capital fund investments with over GBP1 billion of client commitments. This appointment follows the announcement that Peter Wilson was stepping down as CEO in March 2016.
Lewis La Torre has over thirty years’ experience in the private equity industry focused on investing in the European mid-market. Before joining Cardano – a provider of advisory and investment services to UK corporate pension plans – she was co-founder of Proventure Private Equity, a fund management company in the Nordic Region, and later established her own private capital consulting business. Lewis La Torre has lived and worked in several European countries and has engaged with both public and private providers of capital for small and medium-sized businesses in Europe, the US and Asia.
Keith Morgan, Chairman of British Business Bank Investments, says: “We are very excited to have Catherine join our team and lead British Business Bank Investments into the next phase of its development. Catherine is a highly respected industry leader and her wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise makes her an excellent fit for the Bank. With a strong pipeline of new investment opportunities and a business plan that envisages £700m of new commitments over the next five years, Catherine will provide the leadership and vision to realise the company’s potential.
Catherine Lewis La Torre, says: “I am delighted to be joining an organisation with such an important mission. Small and medium-sized businesses form the backbone of the UK economy, although many companies continue to experience challenges in identifying the right financing options as well as in accessing capital. British Business Bank Investments’ role as a facilitator of funding for smaller businesses can make a real difference for thousands of British businesses. I am looking forward to working alongside an experienced and dynamic team that has been charged with this important task.”
Together with the appointment of a new CEO, British Business Bank Investments Ltd is also pleased to announce two new Non-Executive Directors, Sara Halbard and Francis Small. Sara is the former Head of Credit Fund Management at Intermediate Capital Group and Francis is a former Senior Partner at Ernst & Young. Both positions are effective from 16 June 2016. Pat Butler stood down as a Non-Executive Director at the end of May.
