Paragon Bank appoints new commercial vehicle dealer finance manager

Paragon Bank has appointed Yolande Eastwood as commercial vehicle dealer finance manager, responsible for managing the South of England and Wales regions.

Yolanda’s appointment will see Paragon seeking new and used HGV and LCV dealerships, whilst maintaining relationships, the company said. 

The role combines supporting and developing funding options, supporting dealers to sell more units. 

Eastwood will report to Dale Trenam, head of transport at Paragon SME Lending. He said: “I’m delighted to welcome Yolande into our transport team. Yolande specialises in business development and account growth in the commercial vehicle dealership world.

“Our dealer finance strategy has been well received in the market after its launch in January, with several new major dealer group agreements now in place from a standing start.

“There’s a real opportunity for growth over the next few years, with Yolande at the helm in the South of England and Wales.”

Yolande joins Paragon from Blue Motor Finance, where she was a senior area sales manager, and prior to that she worked at DealTrak where she was a business development manager.

Paragon said it created the role earlier this year to support commercial vehicle dealerships across the country, as well as their suppliers.

The team focuses on providing a secondary funding option for commercial vehicle dealerships to complement manufacturer finance options, it said.

Earlier this year, Jamie Thompson was appointed dealer finance manager for the North region.

Commenting on her appointment, Eastwood said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have joined Paragon Bank.

“The great culture and product offering will aid commercial vehicle dealers to deliver a value proposition and service to their customer base.

“I look forward to meeting many more dealerships and sharing what we do here at Paragon Bank.”

Last month (June), Paragon Bank’s Motor Finance division and Peter Vardy-backed Car Money announced they had both seen their car retail lending soar during the first half of their financial year.