A well-known face on the Leicester business scene has been promoted to head up corporate banking for NatWest in the West Midlands.
For the past three-and-a-half years Anne-Marie Hunt had been director of commercial banking for NatWest, covering Leicester and Northampton, and working with businesses with turnovers of up to £25 million.
Her new job, based in Birmingham, will see her head a team looking after companies with £25 million-plus turnovers.
She previously spent a decade helping clients across the East Midlands with real estate and before that had been a NatWest relationship director for Leicestershire.
Following her promotions she said she had stepped down from the board of the Leicestershire ProCon property and construction network, but remains on the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership board and the strategic oversight board for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
Anne-Marie, who studied law and psychology at De Montfort University, said: “I’m spending a bit of time getting to know the professional market in Birmingham which is important. There’s a lot going on there and it’s a vibrant city.
“The team in Birmingham looks after a portfolio of large businesses including some with a couple of hundred million in turnover and well-known names with a nationwide presence.
“Things are difficult for businesses right now with so many headwinds. We’re having to work hard to talk to people about strategic areas such as climate change while they are trying to deal with immediate challenges such as inflation and the consequences of war in Ukraine.
“At the corporate level most companies can absorb that, and there are still opportunities in the market but it is tough. One of the positives is that there are no restrictions on who you can lend to and how you lend.
“Some sectors are facing more challenges than others but with the right deal in the right sector you can find a way through.
“There’s never been more support when it comes to access to finance and with my LLEP hat on there are a lot of different sources of finance out there and places for people to go for help.”
