Bridgeen Stone

Senior banking and financial services professional with more than three decades of experience across commercial banking, credit and risk, invoice finance, business development and senior leadership. Track record of leading sizeable and geographically dispersed teams, making and overseeing complex credit decisions, developing profitable customer relationships, building professional networks and delivering through periods of significant change. Combines strong risk and governance credentials with commercial judgement, customer focus and an extensive network across the UK business finance market.

Currently providing strategic advisory support to a specialist invoice finance provider.

Strategic Advisor at Accelerated Payments Ltd (2025-01 – Present)

Strategic advisory role with a specialist invoice finance provider, drawing on extensive commercial banking, credit and invoice finance experience and an established professional network.

• Support growth through strategic introductions, new business opportunities and referral relationships.
• Leverage a broad network of banking, professional and commercial contacts to introduce prospective clients and partners.
• Advise on brand positioning, market profile and opportunities to extend the company's reach within the UK business finance market.
• Provide senior-level commercial insight and market perspective in support of growth strategy.

Local Director, Mayfair & St James's at Metro Bank (2015-02 – 2025-06)

Senior leadership responsibility for delivery of the bank's business model across retail, business and commercial banking in a key Central London market. Led 38 colleagues, including store leadership and business bankers, with five direct reports.

• Built the local business banking team from inception, leading recruitment and developing capability.
• Drove deposit growth, lending opportunities, customer service and new business across the Central London market.
• Built professional and intermediary networks and generated opportunities across commercial banking, private banking, invoice finance and asset finance.
• Led through significant growth and change while maintaining focus on customer service, people, risk, governance and commercial performance.
• Selected achievements: In 2018 the location achieved Director of the Year, Duty Manager of the Year and Business Manager of the Year awards across the bank's 65 stores.

Regional Director, Commercial Bank at RBS Group (2009-01 – 2015-02)

Led a nationally based team of Relationship Directors and Managers with responsibility spanning customer relationships, risk management, governance, control and commercial performance. Oversaw 20 colleagues: 10 Managers/Directors and 10 support staff with national coverage.

• Managed complex customer issues and negotiated sustainable credit and risk solutions.
• Chaired the weekly watch committee reviewing lending propositions and credit decisions.
• Monitored compliance, governance and risk standards and influenced senior internal and external stakeholders, including government and professional bodies.
• Managed revenue and cost performance while developing talent and maintaining high customer service standards.
• Selected achievements: Led the team through a difficult economic period and significant change; achieved leading customer satisfaction and risk-management performance within the Commercial Bank.

Head of Commercial Credit at RBS Group (2007-01 – 2009-01)

Led an office-based commercial credit function of 90 colleagues responsible for reviewing and deciding credit applications against defined risk criteria.

• Directed business strategy, resource planning and delivery against operational targets.
• Reviewed complex lending applications and exercised personal credit discretion.
• Sat on credit committees considering applications in excess of £5 million.
• Developed and ran a nine-month pilot placing credit expertise within local regions to improve customer service and decision efficiency.
• Selected achievements: Personally nominated by the Managing Director of RBS Commercial Bank for an Outstanding Achievers Award.

Head of Larger Business Credit, Corporate Bank at Barclays (2003-01 – 2007-01)

Managed three credit teams in London, Dublin and Birmingham, with responsibility for credit risk across corporate and commercial customer portfolios.

• Managed credit risk, delegated authority, budgets, team capability and competing operational priorities.
• Built strong customer relationships supporting revenue, profitability and repeat business.
• Led risk due diligence on the acquisition of a European invoice finance house.
• Completed a Capgemini-supported secondment to devise a new operating model for an underperforming group business.
• Developed and delivered an accreditation programme to strengthen specialist finance capability.

Risk Manager, Invoice Finance Division at Barclays (1998-01 – 2003-01)

Promoted after six months to manage the risk function within the invoice finance business, covering risk delivery, staff management and operational support.

Graduate Scheme & Banking Roles at Lloyds Bank, International Factors (1989-01 – 1998-01)

Developed broad banking experience across audit, relationship management, sales and credit.

BA (Hons) in English – University of Ulster (1983-01 – 1987-01)