WeDo trade finance header-with barry the bee

New year – new arm of WeDo!

As we move into what will hopefully be a happier, healthier and brighter 2021, we are pleased to announce the launch WeDo Trade Finance. WeDo Trade Finance Ltd is a new name in Trade Finance promising a straightforward approach towards trade finance in the SME sector.

We look to work closely with customers not just providing support financially, but by gaining an understanding of the opportunity and transactions for each of our customers. The aim is to simplify Trade Finance support for SMEs and assist with their growth by taking the time to fully understand our customers business and the transactions we are being asked to support.

We believe in building strong relationships with our customers and in helping them to achieve their aspirations.

Mark Lindsay, Managing Director of WeDo Finance and Director of WeDo Trade Finance says: 

“When I launched WeDo Finance in 2019, I was always determined to build a network of businesses that would offer much-needed resources across various sectors. I was keen to make sure that we could grow sustainably and have the right people in positions across the business group to enable us to offer unrivalled expertise and support to small and medium enterprises.”

“One thing that I wanted to do was to use my own networks to grow different arms of the business; working with people I have known throughout my career and whom I trust. Many years ago, I worked as a Regional Director for the Davenham Group, which is where I met Vince Tovey, the new Managing Director of WeDo Trade Finance.” 

“Vince has worked in finance since he was a teenager, and I firmly believe that he is the one to take forward our new arm of the business – WeDo Trade Finance. WeDo is growing, and I’m thrilled to have Vince along for the journey.”

About Vince Tovey:

I left school at 16 and took on a role with Natwest International Trade Services Division. The seeds were sown right at the outset of my banking career to assist businesses with their import and export funding requirements.

For the first 12 years of my career, I worked for Natwest and HSBC; always in the International Trade Divisions. This provided an excellent grounding for my future career in what has now become the alternative lending space.

I moved to Davenham Trade Finance in 1998, and had the opportunity to work more closely with SME businesses and their owners and start to add real value – in many cases becoming part of their journey as the owners grew their businesses with my support and assistance. It was here that I met Mark Lindsay and we helped many SME businesses across a number of sectors that included gifts, toys, furnishings, sports equipment, clothing, vehicles and many more.

I spent the next decade with Davenham Trade Finance before I moved on to expand my knowledge of the sector. For the next decade or so, I held senior roles with a number of alternative funding providers, Aldermore Bank and Ultimate Finance to name two, where I have managed sales teams and relationship management teams and also headed up Trade Finance Divisions.

What I will say, is that throughout my career there has been a consistent drive to help SME businesses to navigate their way through some challenging financial times and help them to develop and grow. In the current climate, with the challenges of the global pandemic and also Brexit changes, some of which are as yet unknown; it is more crucial than ever that SME businesses have support and this led to the decision to set up a new Trade Finance lender, namely WeDo Trade Finance.

I will be continuing to help SME businesses to navigate their way through some challenging times ahead and will be focusing on helping them with their supplier payments where little or no credit is available from their key suppliers, perhaps simply due to the economic changes we will all face from 2021. 

With over 30 years of experience in the Trade Finance and Invoice Finance sector there is not much I haven’t seen and I will be putting this experience to good use as we grow and develop the WeDo Trade Finance business as we help more and more SME businesses grow with us along the way. There will be challenges for us all, but if we can grow together and enjoy the journey, then we can also enjoy overcoming some of those challenges together.