For us, banking goes beyond a simple transaction. Whether you’re a first time customer, or long-term broker, our dedication to providing excellent customer service never wavers.
We strive to ensure every conversation is valued, unique and most importantly, heard. No robots or algorithms that make you feel like nobody is there to listen or understand. For us, it’s about building strong relationships through mutual trust, understanding and respect, whether you are an employee, customer, or a business partner.
Our story
Owned by Trinity Hall, Cambridge and Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Fund, we are the result of two well-respected institutions who joined together to create a responsible expert-banking specialist. Our main aim was to bring back all the great elements of a traditional bank, combining these with all the speed, efficiency and innovation of a contemporary lender. The result? A fast and flexible way to invest and grow with us, and safely save with us.

We are proud to be...
Straightforward
Our solutions are straightforward and easy to understand. You can be sure there are no gimmicks, hidden features or jargon.
Reliable
When you do business with us, we’ll make sure its in a way that works for you. We’re always here to support you and when you get in touch, it will be with a member of our UK based team.
Responsive
Our approach is to be open and honest, and keep you updated every step of the way. We take the time to understand your needs and use our expert knowledge and pro-active attitude to support you.
Adaptable
We are flexible in finding the right solution. We will always strive to find something that works for you and your business.
Our directors
The way we do business sets us apart from other banks and our board of directors have been appointed because of their experience, vision and values.
Learn more about our board and why their experience means they’re the right team to lead Cambridge & Counties Bank.
Executive Officers
Donald is a career banker having joined Bank of Scotland after graduating from university. He has held leadership roles at Lloyds Banking Group, Virgin Money and Co-operative Bank. Experience gained in corporate and transactional banking led Donald to specialise in SME banking with customers that he believes are the backbone of the UK economy. Managing Director positions in distribution, operations, risk management and strategy culminated in his appointment as Chief Executive Officer for Cambridge & Counties Bank in November 2020.
Andrea joined Cambridge & Counties Bank as CFO and Board member in 2017, prior to which she held similar roles at a start-up challenger and USS Ltd. Andrea qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG before moving into financial services and has 20 years’ experience ranging from banking licence application, acquisition, and integrations through to strategy development. Andrea has a proven track record from her executive leadership roles with Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland, and National Australia group. Previously, she has also served as a Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair for a large NHS Foundation Trust.
Andrea is passionate about motivating teams to ensure that the Finance & Treasury functions are valued and trusted business partners at the heart of the business.
Simon has over 30 years’ experience in financial services predominantly centred on business development and property lending. After starting his career in 1985 working for NatWest, Simon moved around the Midlands to broaden his knowledge by leading business development teams for Bank of Ireland, Yorkshire Bank and latterly leading the Handelsbanken in Leicester.
After joining Cambridge & Counties Bank in 2012 as its first Business Development Manager, Simon took over responsibility for the national Property Finance team in 2015 and has been at the centre of the Bank’s successful balance sheet growth due to his commitment to delivering a service led and broker-centric business. Simon was appointed to the Board as Chief Development Officer In 2017, when he took over responsibility for the asset finance sales team. Furthermore, Simon’s remit increased in 2020 to include customer deposits as well as marketing.
Outside of the Bank, Simon is a very proud Non-Executive Trustee of Age UK Leicestershire and has acted as the charity’s treasurer for over 15 years.
Mike joined Cambridge & Counties Bank in January 2020, before which he was the CRO for 7 years at Brown Shipley & Co Ltd. With nearly 40 years’ experience in Financial Services working across all the risk categories, Mike has spent most of his career within banking and lending, helping ensure firms have the appropriate risk and control environment.
At Cambridge & Counties Bank, he is responsible for the management and oversight of the Bank’s credit risk and control framework which also includes helping the Bank meet its regulatory obligations, as well as its legal and company secretarial accountabilities. Mike also oversees the bank’s response to climate change, as well as broader environmental, social and governance activities.
He’s passionate about ensuring the broader Risk Management team provide the appropriate support to the Bank, allowing it to continue to grow securely.
Non-Executive Directors
Simon joined Cambridge & Counties Bank when it was formed in 2012, as Non-Executive Director and chair of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee. He was appointed Chairman of the Bank in October 2016.
After leaving the British Army, Simon began his banking career in 1992. He completed his training with Lloyds Bank in 1994 and spent the bulk of his career with Chase Manhattan Bank in London and New York. He also worked with Barclays Bank where he was the regional director for the corporate banking business in Wales and the South West of England.
Simon was a member of the management board of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from 2013 until 2016 and the director responsible for London, the South of England, and Financial Services. Prior to that, he spent three years as CBI International Director leading the work of the CBI in support of its members outside Europe.
Simon has recently been appointed as non-executive director to the board of PCF Bank and is also non-executive chairman of RCI Bank UK. He is a trustee of the Wallscourt Foundation, supporting the students and teaching objectives of the University of the West of England, Bristol, and a lay member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Recruitment and Employers Confederation. Formerly he was a governor at the University of the West of England and non-executive board member of the Government Office of the South West.
Caroline has over 30 years’ experience in financial services, specialising in marketing and customer experience in both the UK and US. After a decade as Marketing Director of the Legal & General Group, Caroline progressed to become one of the first Customer Experience Directors within the UK Insurance sector. She has since led customer driven change programmes across a range of other organisations in the public and private sectors. Caroline has held several Non-Executive Director positions in the financial services industry and public sector over the past fifteen years. She is currently on the Board of Lifesight Ltd (the Trustee for Willis Towers Watson’s Master Trust pension scheme) as Chair of the Discretions Committee and also on the Board of Alzheimer’s Society as Chair of the Policy, Research and Communications Committee.
Nick joined Cambridge & Counties Bank in January 2020 as Chair of the Board Risk & Compliance Committtee. He has 40 years’ experience in financial services with broad experience of corporate and SME banking, asset & liability management, risk management, trading, and general management.
He started his executive career in 1982 at the Allied Irish Banks Group and served as Group Treasurer, Group Chief Risk Officer and Chief Executive of AIB Group UK. Nick was also director of AIB Capital Markets Ltd, Allied Irish Capital Management Ltd, AIB Group (UK) plc and was a member of the AIB Group Executive Committee before retiring in 2012.
Alongside Cambridge & Counties Bank, Nick is also a Non-Executive Director at Bank Leumi UK plc, Eskmuir Properties Group and Chairman of the Saffron Building Society.
Tim is the shareholder representative of Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he has been Bursar since March 2020. Prior to that, he was Bursar of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge for seven years.
He has 26 years’ banking experience, mainly at Schroders and Citigroup, where he led the Equity Capital Markets Group for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Tim's speciality for 20 years was in financial institutions where he oversaw Citigroup’s equity underwriting activity, recapitalising a wide range of European banks in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. He is also the Treasurer of Gates Cambridge, the charity founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to support outstanding graduate students’ study at Cambridge University.
Patrick’s executive career spans over 30 years with PwC, where his primary focus was on strategy, performance improvement as well as all things regulatory within the financial services and insurance sectors. During this time, he was the lead in major transformational programmes and worked with large financial institutions to set strategy and transform performance.
Over the last 8 years, Patrick has spent his time as non-executive director and freelance consultant for a number of financial and non-financial services organisations. He joined Cambridge & Counties Bank as Non-Executive director in June 2021, taking responsibility as Chair of Audit from September. He is currently on the Board as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at Brunel Pensions Partnership, is a Commissioner of Historic England and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. He is also a Governor of the Cornwall College Group.
Christiane began her technology career in 1980 and has gone from coding, to running a software house, to Chief Information Officer in major financial institutions. In 1994, she founded CWB, a dynamic IT Services company delivering IT projects for Banks for a fixed fee and expanding the business into large software development projects and managed services. The business grew 100% year on year for seven years, gaining many awards on the way before being sold to Thales.
From 2010 to 2015, Christiane advised the Secretary of State Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable and HM Government on how best to support SMEs in finance, export & employment law. As recognition, she was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to Business.
Alongside her role as Non-Executive Director, Christiane is the co-founder of PYXIS Culture Technologies linking People - Process - Technology to business performance.
Our milestones
June 2022
We celebrate our 10th anniversary
May 2022
200th staff member joined the team
April 2022
Commended for ‘Best Service from a Commercial Mortgage Provider’ and ‘Best Service from an Asset Based Finance Provider’ at the Business Moneyfacts Awards.
February 2022
Winners of the “Green Award” by Investors in the Environment for the 7th consecutive year
September 2021
£1 billion in customer deposits achieved
June 2021
Awarded Carbon Neutral Plus status for the period 2019/2020
May 2021
2020 Annual Results announced with near 40% rise in gross new lending
September 2020
Donald Kerr appointed as new Chief Executive Officer
August 2020
Tina Hayton-Banks appointed as new Chief Operating Officer
Our CFO, Andrea Hodgson, is recognised in Finance Monthly’s CFO Awards 2020
July 2020
Highly Commended for “Best Business Fixed Account Provider” at the Business Moneyfacts Awards 2020
March 2020
Winners of the “Green Award” by Investors in the Environment for the 5th consecutive year
December 2019
Highly Commended in the ‘Best Charity Fixed Rate Bond Provider’ at the Savings Champion Awards 2020
Highly Commended in the ‘Best Business Fixed Rate Bond Provider’ at the Savings Champion Awards 2020
November 2019
Further expansion in Scotland with the appointment of Area Director
Holiday lets product launched
May 2019
6th Annual Broker Celebratory Dinner held at Kilworth House Hotel
March 2019
Annual results: PBT £27.9m for financial year 2018
Patron member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers
100 mile staff charity walk, raising over £7k
Head office refurbishment complete
February 2019
Balance sheet hits a landmark £1bn
Highly Commended for ‘Best Business Fixed Account Provider’ at the Business Moneyfacts Awards 2019
Won the ‘Green Award’ at the Investors in the Environment Awards 2019
November 2018
15 staff volunteers helped decorate the City Retreat centre in partnership with Leicestershire Cares
October 2018
Hosted a ball raising £15,000 for LOROS
July 2018
Leicester HQ office refurbishment begins
April 2018
Hosted an evening showcasing the works of Lancelot Ribeiro at the New Walk Museum
March 2018
Highly Commended for ‘Best Fixed Rate Bond Provider’ at the Business Moneyfacts Awards 2018
Record growth reported with a Profit Before Tax of £24.4m for financial year 2017
Signed the ‘Enable Guarantee’ with the British Business Bank
March 2017
Won 'Best Business Variable Rate Provider' at the Business Moneyfacts Awards 2017
Record growth reported with a Profit Before Tax of £18.1m
February 2017
Double winners at Investors in the Environment's annual awards
January 2017
Won 'Best Charity Account Provider' at the Savings Champion Awards 2017
December 2016
Largest loan completed to date at £7.7m for City Edge, Birmingham
Company Registered Address changed to head office in Leicester
10,000th Savings account opened
October 2016
Asset Finance win New Challenger of the Year, 2016 in the Leasing World Awards
Simon Moore appointed Chairman
July 2016
Charity cycle from Lands End to Leicester raising close to £6,000
£500m of lending achieved
March 2016
Double winners at iiE Environmental Awards
Birmingham office opened
February 2016
100th staff member joined the team
December 2015
£1,000 donation to Nottingham's QMC neonatal unit
June 2015
£350m of lending achieved
£400m in customer deposits milestone achieved
April 2015
Graduate programme launched
December 2014
£250m of lending achieved
July 2014
Internship programme launched
June 2014
Bristol office opened
January 2014
50th staff member joined the team
December 2013
£100m of lending achieved
July 2013
Bank becomes profitable after 13 months
June 2013
1,000th new customer
April 2013
First fixed rate bond account opened
July 2012
First notice savings account opened
June 2012
Cambridge office opened
Leicester office opened
June 2012
Cambridge & Counties Bank launched
Find out more about us

Join our team
Our people sit at the very heart of our business and are a crucial part of our success. We take the time to recognise and develop the talents and expertise of our people, who are all proud to be part of a growing and successful business. We’ve come a long way since 2012 and are still going strong. Make a difference, be part of our journey
Frequently Asked Questions
Cambridge & Counties Bank is owned by Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Fund.
Cambridge & Counties Bank is an authorised UK bank which focuses on providing financial products to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). We fund our loans using customer deposits. As we do not borrow money from the wholesale markets we do not require a credit rating.
We are a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) which protects the deposits of small to medium sized businesses which meet the FSCS criteria; full details of which can be found at www.fscs.org.uk.
Both the management of the Bank and the owners have a conservative approach to risk management and the bank holds levels of capital and liquidity in excess of all regulatory requirements. Our primary banking responsibility to be to protect our depositors.
Full details of our financial performance including our capital ratios can be found in our statutory accounts which are available by request. We publish a summary of our annual accounts, which can be found here.
Cambridge & Counties Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and is regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The PRA is part of the Bank of England and has a primary responsibility to ensure the safety and soundness of the bank and other financial institutions which it regulates. More information on the PRA can be found here.
The FCA reports to the Treasury and their aim is to protect consumers, ensure the industry remains stable and promotes healthy competition between financial services providers. More information about the FCA can be found on their website at: www.fca.org.uk.
We operate a simple, traditional banking model where we take in savings from organisations and lend funds to small and medium sized businesses. We don’t invest in areas such as the stock market and the majority of the cash that we hold over and above what we lend is held with the Bank of England.
In terms of who we lend to, our focus is on ensuring we are lending to established, financially stable, good quality businesses based in the UK. We do not lend to high risk businesses, nor to those involved in the arms industry or other industry sectors which do not meet our traditional lending criteria. Our typical lending is to businesses in our key regions, where we have Business Development Managers on the ground that know those areas. We lend to commercial owner occupiers in sectors such as manufacturing and also to residential and commercial property investors. We also offer Asset Finance secured on items critical to the business operation such as plant machinery.
Our owners, a Cambridge University College and a Local Government Pension Fund, have a prudent approach to any risk which includes reputational risk arising from any organisation we lend to.
Annual results
Read about how we're doing and the progress we're making.
Awards, sponsorship
& partners
Take a look at the awards we've won, as well as the sponsorship and partnerships that we have developed
Our
commitments
See our commitments to you, our environment and the community.
Charity
We want to make a difference by supporting our community and local charities within it. Learn more about the work we do with charities.