Fresh leadership for debt advisory firm

Fresh Thinking Advisory is accelerating its growth plans with the appointment of Oliver Reece as managing director.

Oliver will head the Leeds-based team, which provides debt advisory services to a wide range of businesses with a particular focus on the North of England.

Across a 15-year lending career, he has built expertise in term debt and working capital with senior, alternative and ABL lenders, most recently having spent seven years working as an investment director in private credit funds lending to a wide range of SME businesses.

Fresh Thinking Capital launched the debt advisory business in 2022 to help SMEs find and secure the financial support they need to grow. It provides advice to management teams seeking funding for a wide range of purposes, from acquisitions to working capital and from £1m to £100m of facilities.

Commenting on his appointment, Mel Hird, director of Fresh Thinking Capital, said: "Fresh Thinking Advisory launched at a time when businesses' need for help accessing capital has never been greater. Oliver brings a wealth of experience that will help to accelerate the growth of the firm and of the thousands of small businesses across the region that are currently under-served."

Fresh Thinking Advisory offers impartial debt advisory services and provides a whole market debt advisory offering, using its expertise and network to help clients raise debt funding. It uses a network of trusted specialists and alternative lenders developed over decades, with the team has collectively worked on more than £1bn of transactions.

The firm also helps companies with corporate debt restructuring with help to manage existing funders and business planning.

Oliver Reece said: "Fresh Thinking Advisory has an exciting offering for businesses across the North and beyond. The adaptability, experience and pedigree of the team set it apart and enable us to provide a genuinely different offering.

“I look forward to working with the many businesses across the region that need financing for expansion and innovation. We work closely with our customers to ensure they go to market fully prepared and help them find the facilities they need from our broad funder relationships."