Regional alternative finance lender SWIG Finance has strengthened its board again with a non-executive director appointment as it prepares for its new chair to take up her role.
The arrival of Chris Butters, pictured, who has considerable non-executive director and senior executive experience, comes ahead of Christine Allison taking over from current chair Malachy McReynolds. 
A former mergers & acquisitions partner at PwC and Virtu Capital Group, Chris Butters has worked at various levels in a number of South West-based organisations, including in those in the not-for-profit, local government as well as private sectors.
SWIG Finance, which grown significantly over the recent years, said Chris’s appointment would strengthen its board as it embarks on an ambitious programme of further growth, with the view to supporting more small and medium-sized enterprises unable to source funding from traditional finance providers.
SWIG Finance outgoing chair Malachy McReynolds, who will step down in March, said he was delighted to welcome Chris to the board.
“Chris’s skillset will be invaluable as the business continues to build on its established position as a lender of enterprise loans in the South West.”
Incoming chair Christine Allison, a former lead economist for the World Bank, said having Chris join the SWIG Finance board was a significant step forward in strengthening the team. “We have a challenging year ahead – and beyond – and I am confident that Chris’s expertise will be crucial,” she added.
Bristol-based Moon Executive Search, which led and managed Christine Allison’s appointment, also conducted the campaign for SWIG Finance to identify candidates for Chris Butters’ non-executive executive role.
Moon founding director Vanessa Moon said: “We were so pleased to have been able to introduce Chris Butters to SWIG Finance, he will be a fantastic addition to the board.”
As the South West’s leading community development financial institution SWIG Finance provides loans from £500 to £25,000 to start-ups in the region and from £10,000 to £250,000 to SMEs that cannot access sufficient support from their bank.
