Building an asset-based lending team: Arbuthnot profile

Building an asset-based lending team can be a tough challenge, but when you have decades of experience, and the backing of a famous wealth management firm, it presents a tremendous opportunity. Marc Mullen speaks to the Arbuthnot Commercial ABL team

In 2018, Tim Hawkins, Andrew Rutherford and James Shaw headed for Gatwick Airport. They had no luggage and no intention of flying anywhere.

They were setting up their new venture in the Beehive – the iconic circular building at the original terminal. Having first worked together at NMB-Heller/GE Capital some 16 years before, with Hawkins and Rutherford going on to co-found Centric Commercial Finance, the trio was now embarking on another new journey to set up an asset-based lending (ABL) business at Arbuthnot Latham private bank.

For companies with a lot of assets, using them to fund growth is a no brainer, and ABL is increasingly deployed in transactions. The Arbuthnot Commercial ABL team was quickly up and running. In 2018/19, it completed 35 deals, providing more than £130m from 29 key business introducers – including corporate finance advisers and private equity sponsors.

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