Northumberland Community Bank appoints new chief executive

He was previously business engagement manager at the North East Chamber of Commerce.

The new role will also see Scott leverage his experience as a founder and managing director of County Durham-based WL Distillery.

Northumberland Community Bank was launched in 2017 to offer a sustainable source of lending for individuals and micro businesses together with a safe home for savings.

Scott said: “I am thrilled to join Northumberland Community Bank as the business enters a stage of transition and a new growth trajectory. The role is an exciting new challenge for me to utilise and leverage my many transferable skills from my previous roles of working closely with businesses across the North East.

“Northumberland Community Bank is heavily rooted and has a strong track record across Northumberland, especially in Ashington, and the next stage of transition is to roll-out the successful formula across the North East.”

As a financial co-operative, its customers are members. By generating deposits from those members, a fund is created allowing the bank to lend to local people, including those vulnerable to high interest lenders.

Scott added: “The ethos and values at Northumberland Community Bank were a real trigger in the decision to take on the role. The festive season is upon us, which is a time of uncertainty for many people, which can tempt people to get embroiled with high interest lenders, the team work closely with the community to support so many to avoid these traps, and I’m in awe at the work they do.”