LHV Bank has promoted two members of its commercial lending team as it continues to build the structure needed to support rapid growth in its SME lending business.
Liam Grimes has been promoted from Lending Manager to Senior Portfolio Manager, a newly created role reporting directly to Conor McDermott, Director of SME Lending.
Grimes joined LHV Bank in October 2024 and has played a key role in supporting the growth of the bank’s lending activity during that period.
Conor McDermott, Director of SME Lending at LHV Bank, said:
“I’m delighted to see Liam step into the role of Senior Portfolio Manager. Since joining LHV in October 2024, he has made a significant impact on the SME Lending team. As our loan book has grown tenfold to over £700m in less than two years, this new role reflects both the scale of our ambition and the strength of Liam’s contribution.
“His focus on supporting and overseeing our expanding portfolio will be key to ensuring we continue to grow in a sustainable way while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”
Jane Woodruff has also been promoted from Lending Operations Manager to Senior Operations Manager. She will report to Ryan Lunn, Head of Lending Operations.
Woodruff joined LHV Bank in September 2024 and has helped strengthen operational processes as lending volumes have increased.
Ryan Lunn, Head of Lending Operations at LHV Bank, said:
“Jane’s promotion to Senior Operations Manager is thoroughly deserved. Since joining LHV in September 2024, she has brought strong leadership and operational expertise to the team. Her commitment to delivering efficient, high quality processes has been instrumental in supporting the rapid growth of our lending business, and I’m looking forward to working with her in this expanded role.”
The promotions come as LHV Bank continues to scale its retail, BaaS (banking as a service) and SME lending proposition across trading businesses, commercial real estate investment and specialist buy to let transactions.
The bank has built a reputation for taking a practical approach to lending, supported by an experienced team of business development managers who work closely with brokers and advisers to shape deals early in the process ahead of handling by expert underwriters.
LHV Bank’s appetite to lend remains broad across profitable UK trading businesses and property backed transactions, with a focus on clear structures, strong fundamentals and long-term relationships with introducers.
