Just Bridging Loans PLC is no ordinary lender - the people behind the company are passionate about finance and enhancing the UK commercial property sector.
Their objective is to help to bridge the corporate funding gap and stimulate the growth of the UK commercial property sector.
The Board
Collective experience
This is a well-respected board of directors. Their collective experience is something that a company cannot put a price on.
They recognise the potential and clear growth strategies of the businesses that the Group will fund.
John Davies - Director
As the founder of the Just Loans Group, serial entrepreneur John Davies uses his vision, creativity and experience to develop innovative solutions for commercial borrowers. John has been very involved in the lending industry since 1981.
For his work in promoting the benefits and protection of the Consumer Credit Act to the general public, he was bestowed the CBI Effective Communication Award in 1992.
John is passionate about the small business sector and understands the pressures they are under every day, everything from trying to manage cash flow to dealing with late payments from suppliers and that is why he makes it his mission to change the way lending is done in this sector.
He is currently leading a call for a formal qualification for Directors prior to starting out in business and is using radio, television and a wide range of social media to highlight this issue.
John McLellan - Chief Operating Officer
John McLellan is Chief Operating Officer of the wholly-owned subsidiary, Just Bridging Loans PLC, and a specialist in business finance, including credit, collections and risk sectors.
Before joining the Group, John ran his own consultancy, undertaking various projects across Pan-European Financial Services providers to optimise performance and reduce costs.
Prior to starting his own business John held senior management positions with Aktiv Kapital (UK) Ltd, Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd and Royal Bank of Scotland.
John is a former Director and Council member of the Credit Services Association and is an Associate of the Institute of Bankers in Scotland.
JLG Group PLC - Corporate Director
The Parent company of The Just Loans Group.
The Group has entered the alternative finance sector to help bridge the funding gap that has restricted the progress of UK businesses, by providing income-producing loans to its subsidiaries in order that they can finance appropriate companies.
Just Bridging Loans PLC is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of JLG Group PLC.
Robert Boot - Finance Director
Robert Boot is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Robert has held senior executive and non-executive positions in a number of industries, in particular construction services, property development, IT and Corporate Finance. He has been responsible for, or directly involved in, listing companies on AIM, GXG and ISDX.
Robert has been responsible for investment, mergers, acquisitions and sales of many SME businesses in various parts of the world including the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East, Far East, Australia and the USA.
He has been a member of the Bank of England's Panel for South London since 1997.
Underwriting Team
Our underwriting team of Business Analysts and Account Directors is headed up by Philip Rudall with over 25 years commercial experience.
Phillip Rudall - Head of Risk
Phillip has over 25 years experience as a commercial solicitor specialising in a number of areas including commercial lending, corporate sales and commercial litigation.
He also has acted in an advisory role to a variety of financial institutions throughout Europe including GMAC, Masterlease and ING Bank.
His experience and expertise helped create many of our lending policies and practices. He is responsible for sanctioning all lending and assists in the ongoing management of our loan book.
Business Analysts
Our analysts are passionate in their approach when assessing the customer business model.
Grant Shepherd - Business Analyst
Grant has a good blend of finance, underwriting and business experience, together with excellent communication, analytical and reasoning skills. Therefore, he is ideally suited to assess business finance applications.
He gained his financial and underwriting knowledge with HSBC and MSMS (Egg/Prudential) before deciding to gain more commercial and business experience. He was appointed Finance and Administration Manager for Roadchef Motorway Ltd's largest site with key responsibilities for budgeting, invoicing, stock reconciliation and management reporting.
"Experience has taught me to first look at the facts and figures but then let the customer bring the application to life with knowledge of their business and a clear understanding of why finance is needed " says Grant.
Wayne Martin - Business Analyst
Wayne has built up a wide range of financial services experience and prides himself on his ability to help customers cut through any jargon.
"It's very important to assess someone's level of financial knowledge and talk in a way everyone can understand - customers really appreciate this," says Wayne.
What's also appreciated is his ability to assist colleagues with the more complicated finance applications and his expert Property and Bridging knowledge.
He developed his knowledge, skills and customer focus during his time with Egg Finance, Purple Loans and G.E. Money.
Account Directors
Our Account Directors excel in establishing and building relationships to gain a thorough understanding of the customer's business and the market it operates in.
Ken Ramsay - Account Director
Ken has over 38 years experience with Royal Bank of Scotland and has always taken immense pride in delivering excellent service to his customers. Evidence of his successful approach is the number of customers that asked to follow him whenever he moved branch or portfolio.
With over 15 years direct relationship management experience he is ideally placed to assess business finance applications with a focus on how the additional finance is going to help a business prosper. His knowledge and customer service focus ensures the right businesses get the right amount of finance they require.
"The facts and figures behind a finance application are important but I really enjoy asking the right questions that help me understand what motivates the person behind the business and how we can support their growth plans," says Ken.
Douglas Neil - Account Director
Douglas and his colleagues are the reason we receive outstanding customer feedback - "This is like Business Banking used to be".
This isn't surprising as during a long career with Clydesdale Bank he took responsibility for managing a large portfolio of SMEs. Excellent relationship management skills, the ability to identify customer needs and a record of providing innovative solutions were a winning combination that led to a series of rapid promotions.
"Many businesses tell us they were initially put off applying for finance because they believed it would take several weeks and they simply 'didn't have the time'. It's good to regularly receive positive feedback on how we sort everything out in just a number of days," says Douglas.
Grant Malcolm - Account Director
Grant is highly experienced in business and financial planning/analysis and has over 38 years experience with Clydesdale Bank.
He held a wide variety of roles at the Bank including, Commercial Finance Manager and Corporate Real Estate Manager. He is particularly proud of his record of working with customers and developing the opportunities to grow their businesses.
"I really enjoy getting positive feedback about our 'open and honest' approach and the number of customers that simply describe dealing with us as 'hassle free'," says Grant.
Media Team
The brand has been built by focussing on attracting talented people and developing meaningful partnerships
Jenny Cooper - Head of Marketing
Jenny has over 25 years marketing experience and drove the integrated marketing activity that made ING Direct one of the most successful ever new savings entrants to the UK marketplace.
She has a key role to play in ensuring our targeted marketing activity both builds our Brand awareness and delivers business results.
Toni M Evans - Head of Engagement
Toni has a First Class Hons Bachelor Degree and Masters Degree in Law. She has worked in the Travel, Print and Design industries for over 20 years.
One of her key roles is managing the company's social media ensuring that the online marketing potential and relationships are maximised within the social spectrum.
Martin Rutland - Head of Communications
Martin has over 30 years experience in financial corporate communications with companies that include Legal and General, Access, HSBC, Household International, and ING Direct. He has taken the lead media role in the launch and establishment of major brands such as the Goldfish Credit Card and ING Direct.
He is responsible for our communications strategy with the media and increasing range of business partners.
Joseph Lee-Brown - Digital Creative Head
Joseph has over 20 years of global experience with an emphasis on identity development and brand implementation across numerous touch points.
He has invaluable knowledge of the rapidly changing digital world.
Past experience covers a range of major blue chip companies including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, HSBC Midland, Vodafone, Standard Bank and Hanson PLC.