HSBC has appointed a new area commercial director for Birmingham.

Rikki Griffiths will be responsible for supporting companies from the city with a turnover of typically between £500,000 and £30 million.

He moves to the role following a two-year stint as area commercial director for HSBC's Liverpool team.

Mr Griffiths has more than three decades of experience in corporate and commercial banking and has held a number of senior roles at Barclays prior to joining HSBC in 2012.

He will lead a team of 50 in Birmingham, including 25 relationship managers, and his remit will focus on working with new and existing customers to help them achieve their growth ambitions.

HSBC recently launched a £500 million SME Fund specifically to support businesses from the West Midlands, £200 million of which will be administered by Mr Griffiths' team for Birmingham businesses.

He said: "Coming from the North West, it was a major decision for me to leave the Liverpool commercial team but the potential of Birmingham and its surrounding areas is immense and a major pull.

"The city boasts some fantastic, innovative and ambitious companies and there is certainly a buzz of confidence around Birmingham at present which I want my team to tap into."

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