THE LEASING INDUSTRY BRIEFING
The latest news, views and numbers you need to know this month
News in Numbers
53.6mt
The weight, in metric tonnes, of global e-waste generated worldwide in 2019 – equivalent of throwing away 1,000 laptops every second. However, sustainability remains a low priority when businesses are looking to procure new IT, says 3stepIT.
28,000
The number of solar panels to be financed by BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions as part of a 10-year lease contract with Royal Cosun, an international agricultural cooperative based in the Netherlands.
70%
The level of UK government guarantee that the revamped SME Covid-19 Recovery Loan Scheme will attract for all funds provided to lenders, instead of the previously guaranteed 80%, authorities announced.
6%
The growth amount of total asset finance new business across the UK in August 2021 compared with the same month in 2020, according to figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association.
10
The number of country-based subsidiaries held by US-based CSI Leasing. The independent equipment leasing company announced the acquisition of two companies in Norway that will form the basis of a new Oslo-based subsidiary.
People Moves
Pulse Outsource appoints Helen Wheeler as managing director
Pulse Outsource, a UK back-office and funding services provider for businesses, has appointed Helen Wheeler as managing director. The move comes following the company’s acquisition by Cubitt Holdings (Europe) LLC in March 2021. Wheeler joins Lisa McCulloch – operations director – to create an all-female leadership team.
Source: Pulse Cashflow
Bibby appoints chief technology officer and head of IT
SME financier Bibby Financial Services (BFS) has appointed James Cooper as chief technology officer to implement its technology programme as part of its new BFS 4.0 strategy. Cooper first joined BFS in 2014 and was most recently chief information officer at BFS.
Source: Bibby Financial Services
Invigors adds former GE Capital executive to leadership team
Asset finance consulting and services provider Invigors EMEA has appointed Sven Jirgal, a former executive of Cisco Capital and GE Capital, as a senior adviser. He has also served as director and chairman of The Captives Forum, an association of manufacturer-owned asset finance companies.
Source: Invigors EMEA
BNP Paribas insider appointed UK country manager of JV with 3stepIT
Graham Drew, who joined BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions in 2018, has been appointed to head up the UK operations of the lessor’s IT lifecycle management joint venture with 3stepIT. Drew will be charged with supporting Britain’s mid-market, corporate and public sector organisations.
Source: BNP Paribas 3 Step IT & 3stepIT
Hirsch to become deputy chair of the board of directors at Grenke
Grenke AG's supervisory board has appointed chief financial officer Dr Sebastian Hirsch as the deputy chair of the board of directors.
Sebastian Hirsch has been with Grenke since 2004. He began his career in controlling, served as a member of the board of directors of Grenke Bank AG, and has been a member of the board of directors of Grenke AG since 2017, responsible for controlling, M&A, treasury, legal, tax, and investor relations.
In October of last year, he was appointed CFO of Grenke AG. Hirsch holds a degree in business administration and a Master of Arts in banking and finance. In 2021, he completed his doctorate at Steinbeis University.
The chair of the supervisory board of Grenke AG, Prof. Ernst-Moritz Lipp, said: "Dr Hirsch embodies both continuity and new beginnings. He knows the company like no other and has led Grenke through the crisis in a central role, and personifies the generational change at Grenke."
British Ports Association chief executive Richard Ballantyne, following UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the Freeports selection process will see the first sites in England set up by the end of 2021:
“This is a welcome development and by being more inclusive in terms of the number of freeports there might be, the government can now explore how to better deliver on its levelling up agenda without picking regions over each other. Coastal communities are often in areas of high deprivation and have also experienced challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown so this potentially transformative policy will be welcomed across a range of suitable locations.”