Funding Options hires former banker as commercial director

The start up said the role of Simon Cureton will be to ‘deepen relationships’ and forge new alliances with banking and non-banking partners.

Funding Options has hired a former banker and a founding Esme Loans member as its new commercial director.  

Simon Cureton joins the business finance marketplace and is charged with "identifying new opportunities" across the business.

Funding Options, founded in 2012, uses its platform to match UK small firms seeking finance with its 50-strong panel of bank and non-bank lenders including HSBC and iwoca.

The London-based start up added Cureton’s role will also be to “deepen relationships” and forge new alliances with banking and non-banking partners, who already include TSB, ING, Auto Trader and GoCompare. He takes up his post in May.

The firm advises small businesses across a range of funding options covering asset-based lending, invoice funding and crowdfunding.

Cureton was a founding member of Esme Loans, a NatWest-owned unit founded in 2017, that provides unsecured business loans between £10,000 - £150,000. He worked as the commercial director at Esme Loans over the past year.

Prior to that, Cureton held roles at a range of banks including RBS international, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank.

Funding Options managing director Ryan Edwards-Pritchard said Cureton “has a wealth of experience in digital innovation and fintech, as well as an impressive track record managing and coaching teams”.

Edwards-Pritchard added: “His international expertise in managing digital platforms and designing new products will be invaluable to Funding Options.”

Cureton said the business marketplace “can play an increasingly important role in helping businesses to access finance across Europe, and potentially further afield”.