Handelsbanken has appointed Kevin Hulse as its first corporate manager for business development in Edinburgh, marking a strategic move to boost growth across the capital.
Hulse, a 43-year-old Edinburgh native, assumes the newly created role after serving two years as a corporate manager with Handelsbanken. Based at the bank’s east-end branch on Waterloo Place, his new position entails driving growth throughout the city, including the west-end branch at Haymarket.
Hulse brings more than 20 years of banking experience to the role. He joined Handelsbanken after a four-year tenure at Aldermore Bank, where he was the senior lending manager for Scotland. Before that, he spent 16 years with Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, focusing on property lending.
Iain Henderson, the branch manager at Edinburgh West, explained the significance of Hulse’s appointment. “This represents a step-change for the bank in Edinburgh and supports our growth strategy both in the city and UK as a whole,” he said. “We tailor our services to meet customers’ needs, whether that be mortgages and deposits on the private banking side or deposit, lending, cards, and BACS facilities on the corporate side. Kevin’s focus is now business development for the whole bank offering, both private and corporate. This will be his responsibility.”
Previously, corporate managers worked with a portfolio while focusing on business development. Hulse’s role will not include managing a portfolio, allowing him to be more market-facing and proactive across the entire city.
Handelsbanken has a growing presence in Scotland and north Cumbria, with nine branches as part of a network of more than 150 across the UK since the Swedish bank launched in 1982. The Edinburgh branch has been open since 2009.
In his new role, Hulse will be responsible for driving growth across all areas of business. “There is no bonus structure here; we are all salaried employees, and doing the right thing for the customer is what drives us, and I really like that,” he said. “Having the Edinburgh-wide remit is really exciting as it’s a unique role for the bank.”
He added, “This is going to be a pivotal role in growing the bank. We have previously relied on organic growth and word-of-mouth recommendations, but we are now being more proactive about our proposition and what we actually do. It’s exciting to be part of the Handelsbanken story in Scotland’s capital city.”
