Ben Barbanel

OakNorth Bank bolsters Manchester team with two new hires




OakNorth Bank has appointed Paul Atherton as associate of debt finance and Gareth Bennett as an associate director.

Paul joins the bank from Ballard Evans Corporate Finance Boutique, where he worked for 10 years.

Gareth has almost 15 years of experience in the industry, having most recently worked for Allied Irish Bank.

Since it set up the Manchester-based debt finance team last year, the team has grown from two members to six.


Ben Barbanel, head of debt finance at OakNorth Bank (pictured above), said: “Despite the economic challenges being caused by Covid-19, OakNorth Bank has continued to lend to viable British businesses and support strong management teams through these unprecedented times. 

“We have therefore continued to grow our team and expand our capabilities in Manchester so we can keep up with this demand. 

“With the help of Paul and Gareth, we’ll be able to further support SMEs in this region.”

OakNorth Bank has approved approximately £800m in new loans, including over £300m through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) since March.

This year, the bank has completed several transactions with businesses in the North, including Dow Schofield Watts, Aptus Utilities, Security Plus, and Casa Italia.

Leave a comment