Member Article

Swedish bank announces Gateshead expansion

Swedish bank Handelsbanken, which boasts over 850 branches in 25 countries worldwide, has announced that it will soon open an office in Gateshead.

Former Barclays man Brian Foreman, who joins the firm as branch manager, will lead a newly assembled team found at the Keel Row at The Watermark, Gateshead.

Handelsbanken, which first established a UK presence in 1982, manages a decentralised network of over 200 branches across the country. Therefore, customer-related decisions will be taken locally in Gateshead, with each customer having direct access to a relationship manager empowered to make decisions.

Alongside Brian Foreman, the Handelsbanken Gateshead team includes Corporate Banking Manager Matthew Elliott, Individual Banking Manager Richard Hogarth and Account Manager Support, Dawn Riley.

Brian said: “Joining Handelsbanken to set up a new branch in Gateshead was too good an opportunity to turn down. Handelsbanken have given me empowerment to set up the branch and to recruit my own team.

“This level of decentralisation is at the heart of the Bank and being able to make the customer-related decisions locally in Gateshead demonstrates our overwhelming focus on our customers.

“At all times, we aim to provide the best advice for the customer, untainted by targets or bonus incentives. The recent awards really do highlight our capabilities and opening a new branch in Gateshead further reinforces our commitment to the local area.”

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