John Phillipou appointed MD of SME lending at Paragon

Paragon has appointed John Phillipou as the new managing director of SME lending, who has experience in the asset finance sector, spanning the UK and Europe.

He joins the company from PEAC Finance, where he was chief executive officer, leading the business in providing finance solutions for predominantly SME clients.

He will be responsible for overseeing the SME lending activities of Paragon Banking Group including broker, commercial, invoice finance and professional loans to support UK businesses.

He also aims to ensure that customer focus continues to be at the forefront of Paragon’s commercial lending.

Phillipou said: “I am delighted to be joining Paragon and I look forward to working with the team to deliver both a first-class service and products.”

His career spans 25 years in business lending both in the UK and globally, including roles with Bank of Scotland, JCB Finance, Citigroup and as international MD for Deutsche Leasing.

Paragon provides asset finance through approved intermediaries and direct to customer across a range of sectors.

Paragon Bank is a subsidiary of the Paragon Banking Group, which is a FTSE 250 company based in Solihull in the West Midlands.

Established in 1985, Paragon Banking Group PLC has over £12 billion of assets under management and manages over 450,000 customer accounts.