Three prominent figures from the British Business Bank have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List.
Louis Taylor, chief executive officer of the British Business Bank, received a CBE for his services to business and trade.
With a distinguished career spanning roles at UK Export Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, and JP Morgan, Louis, who hails from the North East and attended the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle as well as recently serving as chair of governors at the school, has been instrumental in driving economic development through innovative finance solutions.
Beyond his professional achievements, Louis is a trustee of the charity Sightsavers and is a former chair of trustees of the charity Music in Prisons, which runs music education projects to help rehabilitate offenders.
He said: “I am delighted to have received this Honour from His Majesty.
“Importantly, it highlights the genuinely outstanding and productive work done by so many colleagues over the years at both UK Export Finance and the British Business Bank in the service of UK business and trade, and I thank them for that.”
Catherine Lewis La Torre, former chief executive officer of the Bank’s commercial subsidiaries, British Patient Capital and British Business Investments, was also awarded a CBE.
With over 25 years in private equity, Catherine’s leadership has shaped key initiatives to address market gaps in business finance. She continues to influence the sector as a non-executive director of Cumulus Oncology and Alantra Partners.
Catherine said: “It’s truly wonderful to be recognised for the impact achieved for businesses across the UK arising from the different roles I held at the Bank.
“The unwavering support of my teams, peers and colleagues was the vital ingredient which made the successful delivery of ambitious outcomes possible.
“This was true whether I was serving as Interim CEO of the British Business Bank, appointed by the Secretary of State for Business to lead the Bank though the Covid crisis, or as the foundational CEO of British Patient Capital, launched to address the market failure for scale-up capital in the UK and, in my first role as CEO of the British Business Investments, resetting the investment strategy to provide a broader range of lending and credit options for SMEs.”
Judith Hartley, former interim chief executive officer of British Business Investments and British Patient Capital, was awarded an MBE.
Based in the North East and a Durham native, Judith has led several national finance programmes and holds roles with Northstar Ventures and NEL Fund Managers.
She said: “I am really thrilled to receive this honour in recognition of services to business.
“Supporting the UK’s smaller businesses has been a constant throughout my career, and I could not have achieved any of this without the brilliant colleagues and leadership teams I have worked with at British Business Investments, British Patient Capital and the British Business Bank.”
Find out more about Louis’ distinguished career, his charitable endeavours and his devotion to the North East in his interview with our sister publication, N, here.
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