In the newly created role, Grimes will report directly to Conor McDermott, director of SME lending. Grimes has been with LHV Bank for around a year as a lending manager.
Prior to that, he worked at Metro Bank for around eight years. He initially joined as customer service representative and worked his way up to commercial relationship manager.
McDermott added: “I’m delighted to see Liam step into the role of senior portfolio manager. Since joining LHV in October 2024, he has made a significant impact on the SME lending team. As our loan book has grown tenfold to over £700m in less than two years, this new role reflects both the scale of our ambition and the strength of Liam’s contribution.
“His focus on supporting and overseeing our expanding portfolio will be key to ensuring we continue to grow in a sustainable way while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”
Woodruff has been with LHV Bank for around two years, initially joining as a lending operations manager. She will report to Ryan Lunn, head of lending operations.
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Before joining LHV Bank, she worked at Cynergy Bank for around two years, and before that worked at Habib Bank in Zurich for around two years. She has also worked at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Lloyds Banking Group.
Lunn said: “Jane’s promotion to senior operations manager is thoroughly deserved. Since joining LHV in September 2024, she has brought strong leadership and operational expertise to the team. Her commitment to delivering efficient, high-quality processes has been instrumental in supporting the rapid growth of our lending business, and I’m looking forward to working with her in this expanded role.”
The promotions come as Kris Brewster was named interim CEO, replacing Erki Kilu.
LHV Bank said it was continuing to scale its retail, banking-as-a-service and SME lending propositions in its trading businesses, commercial real estate and specialist buy-to-let (BTL) transactions.
