Leasing Foundation welcomes new board members

The Leasing Foundation announced today that Lauren McQuilken and Alexandra McWilliams are joining its board. Both Lauren and Alex have been instrumental in the success of the NextGen Network, driving initiatives that have brought in new talent and broadened industry engagement among young professionals in the industry.

Lauren, business development manager at United Trust Bank, has over 10 years’ experience in the asset finance industry.

She started her career at Metro Bank Asset Finance, working within the operations team in various roles before joining the sales team. She then moved to United Trust Bank in 2022. She’s been a Leasing Foundation NextGen ambassador for the past six years, featuring in the Leasing Foundation 30 under 30 in 2021 and was part of its first ever Industry Insights programme cohort on 2020/21.

Alex, communications manager at Simply, has over six years of relationship building and customer experience expertise, having started her career in broker support.

A NextGen Network member since 2018, Alex has hosted workshops and networking event, making a big impact on the future of the industry. She was Leasing Life Young Professional of the Year in 2019 and has featured in the Leasing Foundation’s 30 Under 30 in 2022.

Led by Nathan Mollett since its launch, the NextGen stream runs several programmes. Besides the networking events, it also includes the popular Industry Insights programme and presents the annual 30 under 30 Index.

Ylva Oertengren, chair of the Leasing Foundation, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Lauren and Alex to the board.

“Their leadership and fresh thinking will be a great addition to the board. Under Nathan’s leadership, our NextGen Network has grown into having a significant impact in our industry with several cohorts of new talent coming through its programmes. This appointment proves the success of the initiative. I look forward to seeing it grow further with Alex and Lauren at the helm.”

Both Lauren and Alex will continue to lead the NextGen Network and help shape the overall strategy and direction of the Leasing Foundation. Nathan will remain on the board as non-executive director.

The new appointments to the board will join the following existing board members:

Ylva Oertengren, chair (Simply)
Julie Henehan, Sustainability (Shire Leasing)
Cat Powell, Innovation (Novuna Business Finance)
Sam Dring, Innovation (Lloyds Banking Group)
Helen Lumb, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Shire Leasing)
Helena Thernstrom, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (NatWest)
Mel Chell, Giving (Solaris Law)
Andy Denton, non-exec director (Alfa Financial Software)
Graeme Chisholm, non-exec director (CBC Resourcing Solutions)
Mike Randall, non-exec director (Simply)
Nathan Mollett, non-exec director (United Trust Bank)

Lauren and Alex will be chairing the AFC Next Generation Workshop, in association with the Leasing Foundation, at the AFC UK Autumn Conference on 26th November at County Hall, London. The Workshop is an engaging participative session with a panel discussion and interactive roundtable conversations for all participants. Contact Louise Clavey to book your tickets for the conference and workshop at louiseclavey@assetfinanceconnect.com