South West Investment Group Appoints Chris Butters as Group CEO

The South West Investment Group (SWIG), a Community Development Finance Institution, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Butters as its first Group CEO, with effect from 1st May 2023. Chris has been a non-executive director of SWIG for over two years.

As the first Group CEO, Chris will be the leading on the growth aspirations of SWIG. He will be looking to raise more lending capital and to grow SWIG’s presence throughout the South West region. Together with the board and senior executives, Chris will be part of the outward face of SWIG, looking to build and strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders and regional organisations.

With previous appointments including a corporate finance Partner at PWC, Chris has extensive experience in strategic management, finance and market development both locally and internationally. In more recent times, he has held a number of high-profile Non-Executive Directorships across a diverse range of sectors including for-profit and socially orientated enterprises. Throughout his career, Chris has worked with businesses at every lifecycle stage, and, as a rapidly expanding organisation, this experience will be invaluable to the development of SWIG.

Of his appointment Chris said “I am delighted to be stepping-up from a non-exec role into the newly created role of Group CEO.  I look forward to working more closely with the existing teams in both SWIG-Finance and SWIG-Capital to build on the exceptional platform they have created over many years.  The strong demand for business finance in the South West is driven by a diverse economy that ranges from maritime engineering to regional specialisms including food, agriculture, education and tourism. We are structured to support those businesses that would struggle to raise bank finance, and I am excited to support the critical SME and start-ups that form the backbone of our regional economy”.

Christine Allison, the Chair of SWIG Ltd commented: “I am delighted that Chris has accepted our offer to be the Group’s first CEO. Having sat on the boards of both SWIG Finance and SWIG Ltd, Chris is very familiar with our business, its recent successes and the challenges we face. I look forward to working closely with Chris in his new role”.

About SWIG Finance

SWIG Finance is a non-profit company that supports viable South West businesses that can’t secure sufficient funding from their bank. By empowering underserved SMEs to overcome their financial barriers, we are working to create a more balanced financial ecosystem.

We’re growing every year. In 2021/22, we lent £10.8m to 502 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,000 jobs and generate £32.3m. For more information visit https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/social-impact-report-2022/

If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930.