Blackstar Capital has appointed Tim Davies as head of financial design, a newly created role for the specialist structured finance and working capital solutions provider.

Davies has more than 25 years of experience in the global capital markets, and spent the last five years focused on generating financing options for fintech origination in the trade receivables and payables space. He joins Blackstar Capital from NatWest Markets, where he had held the role of head of receivables finance, responsible for creating a digital supply chain finance proposition backed by a capital markets issuance facility capable of real-time FX.

Before NatWest he sequentially held the roles of head of origination, managing director of Demica Finance and chief investment officer at Demica’s captive finance company, More Finance. He has also previously worked at Lloyds Bank, RBS and RBC.

At Blackstar Capital, Davies will be responsible for the design and execution of programmatic financial structures to back receivable and payable platforms. “This capability aligns perfectly with the global drive to inject liquidity into the SME sector,” reads a statement from the company.

“The appointment comes at a significant time for Blackstar’s growth,” the statement continues. “The company has evolved into a key partner for many corporates looking to optimise their working capital through alternative means, as banks focus on serving a narrowing band of multi-product, global corporates against a backdrop of increasing regulation and capital reserve requirements. Blackstar has built a global capability and a unique, networked approach to solving the issues that corporates face in optimising their working capital.”

According to Mark Stephens, CEO of Blackstar Capital, the company is embarking on a “significant growth phase”, with “major projects soon to be announced”.

In 2018, as reported by GTR, Blackstar Capital acquired a controlling stake in a New Zealand lender and helped launch Blackstar Asset Management, a UK-based investment advisor focused on providing direct loans, deal participation and niche private fund opportunities. The moves meant the company became capable of funding deals off its own book, a capacity it previously lacked.