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FINANCE
MONTHLY
GAME
CHANGER AWARDS
2017
ABOUT MARK CROOK
Chief Operating Officer, Henry Howard Finance
Mark started his career with a BSC Hons in Management Science from Swansea
University, as a student of the Pirelli sponsorship program. Following his studies
Mark pursued his interest in commercial finance before being headhunted by
‘Lombard Business Equipment Leasing’ for the position of Territory Manager for
Wales and the West of England. He quickly gained recognition for his business
acumen and was promoted to Sales Manager where he led a successful business
development team.
In 1997, Mark was approached by Howard Ross, to co-steer newly established
brokerage ‘Henry Howard Finance’ (HHF). Together, Howard and Mark shared an
entrepreneurial vision for SME funding, and identified a gap in the market for a
flexible and responsible asset finance house, that would understand the financial
challenges faced by SME’s.
Over the next four years Mark dedicated his time and energy into attracting key
accounts and establishing a dedicated sales team. With his previous experience
and in depth understanding of the financial marketplace he successfully identified
a niche business sector for Henry Howard Finance, and became responsible for
coordinating sales and business development activity.
In 2000, the company decided to ‘change the game’ and evolve from a
brokerage, to an independent finance house with an in house lending facility.
As a natural entrepreneur, Mark prompted the introduction of a universal
document for all Henry Howard Finance lease agreements and placed emphasis
on customer service and relationship management. The shift in focus resulted in
increased levels of own business transactions, supporting the company’s transition
to funder status.
As HHF built upon its brokerage platform, and established a reputation as a funder
in its own right, the business entered a period of rapid growth. In response, Henry
Howard Finance became a public limited company in late 2000, with private
ownership held jointly by both Managing Directors.
Striving ahead, Howard and Mark continued with their aspirations to become
‘funder of first choice’ for SME’s across the UK, spending many years developing
their vision.
The next stage in the development of the company came in 2014, with a £25
million investment from Cabot Square Capital, a specialist financial services
private equity investor. The investment enabled Henry Howard Finance to create
four specialist divisions for SME finance namely; Asset Finance, Vendor Finance,
Retail Finance and Cashflow/ Invoice discounting.
Critically, the investment allowed the company to write more business using its
own capital, establishing Henry Howard Finance as the long-term partner of both
SME’s and Vendors.
MARK CROOK
Chief Operating Officer of Henry Howard Finance Group
Established:
1996
Founders:
Howard Ross, Chief Executive Officer / Mark
Crook, Chief Operating Officer
Target Audience:
SME’s
Marketplace:
Henry Howard Finance is a leading
business finance provider for SME’s across the UK, and
the largest independent finance house in Wales
HHF Approach:
Responsive and flexible, jargon-free
finance
Tagline:
‘Making Finance Easy’
Divisions
: Asset Finance, Retail Finance, Vendor
Finance, Cashflow Finance
Product/ service:
Providing tailored solutions for asset
based lending and cash flow services
Performance:
In 2016 alone, HHF provided finance for
more than 6,000 businesses lending in excess of £150
million.
Portfolio:
Over 20,000 UK based SME’s of all sizes and
stages
Notable developments:
In June 2014, HHF received a
£25 million investment private equity investor Cabot
Square Capital. In 2016, HHF also agreed a £51m asset
finance facility with the British Business Bank’s ‘Enable
Funding’ programme.
A Snapshot