SME bank Recognise opens new Manchester hub as new team appointed

SME bank Recognise has announced the opening of its new Manchester hub, and the team selected to run it.

Recognise Financial Services Ltd, a new challenger bank and subsidiary of AIM-listed City of London Group plc, says it partners with leading fintech platforms for its relationship managers to provide a market-leading SME service.

It has set up a new team in Manchester along with others in the Midlands, Leeds and London.

The firm announced on Monday that James Meigh has been appointed regional director, with Ian Fields as business development manager for Yorkshire and the North West. Angela Norman has been appointed as head of broker development for the bank.

Bryce Glover, deputy CEO of Recognise said: “I am delighted to welcome James, Ian and Angela to the team, they bring an incredible amount of experience to our new venture.

“Having spent a great deal of my career in the North West, I am excited that we are putting down our roots where there is a strong heritage of business entrepreneurship and economic resilience.

“This is a great opportunity for Recognise to showcase its service proposition and its commitment to relationship banking.”

Mr Meigh said: “I am very excited to join Recognise, a completely new venture but with a highly experienced team and a very credible business plan for the regions.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the business and professional community to build long term relationships and deliver a better all-round experience for customers.”

Recognise said the relationship managers will meet each client and provide a “responsive and personalised service”. Each relationship manager will have “deep knowledge” of industry sectors and a “genuine appreciation for SME challenges”.

The article appeared in Business Live (Manchester Evening News) on23 November 2020

Steve Pateman

Steve has had an extensive executive career in banking, leading corporate and commercial banking businesses at RBS/NatWest, managing Santander’s UK banking businesses and as CEO of Shawbrook Bank, Hodge Banking Group and most recently successfully leading the banking licence application for StreamBank.

He is a non-executive Director at Bank of Ireland both in the UK and Dublin and Thin Cats, a specialist SME lending business and is retained as an advisor to Black Lion Ventures. He was previously President of the Chartered Banker Institute.

Steve took up the role of Chair (subject to regulatory approval) at Recognise Bank in November 2024, having served as an Investor Non-Executive Director since January 2024.