Accelerated Payments is delighted to announce the appointment of Russ Harker as Sales Director, supporting the firm’s continued growth and expansion across the UK and Ireland.
With over 30 years’ experience in the commercial finance and asset-based lending sector, Russ brings a wealth of industry knowledge, leadership expertise, and a proven track record across restructuring & recovery, risk management and sales leadership.
A Highly Experienced Leader in Commercial Finance
Throughout his career, Russ has built a strong reputation for navigating complex financial environments and delivering strategic outcomes. His deep expertise spans both risk and growth functions, giving him a well-rounded perspective on supporting businesses through a wide range of economic conditions.
Russ’s experience in restructuring and recovery has seen him work closely with clients and stakeholders to manage challenging situations, assess risk, and develop practical solutions that support long-term success. This, combined with his commercial acumen and leadership in sales, positions him to make an immediate impact within Accelerated Payments.
Supporting the Next Phase of Growth
At Accelerated Payments, our focus remains on helping businesses unlock working capital quickly and efficiently, enabling them to pursue new opportunities both domestically and internationally and manage growth with confidence. As demand for flexible funding solutions continues to increase, strengthening our sales capability is a key priority.
Russ’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the business, following the recent expansion of our funding capabilities to include Polish receivables. This development further strengthens our ability to support clients operating internationally, particularly those trading into new and growing markets.
His appointment reflects our commitment to building a high-performing, experienced team that can support clients across a broad range of needs and sectors. His ability to combine strategic insight with hands-on leadership will play an important role as we continue to scale our offering and expand our reach.
Bringing Deep Expertise from ABN AMRO
Most recently, Russ held the role of Head of Financial Restructuring & Recovery at ABN AMRO, where he led the UK team managing high-risk lending portfolios and worked closely with senior stakeholders on complex financial situations.
In this role, Russ was responsible for guiding clients through challenging financial circumstances, balancing risk management with practical, commercially focused solutions. His experience working with both businesses and internal stakeholders adds significant value as Accelerated Payments continues to evolve its proposition.
Strengthening Our Sales Leadership
As Sales Director, Russ Harker will work closely with the senior leadership team to drive business development, strengthen client relationships, and support the continued growth of Accelerated Payments across key markets.
His appointment further enhances the depth of experience within the team and supports our ambition to deliver tailored, responsive funding solutions for businesses operating both domestically and internationally.
Speaking about his new role, Russ Harker said:
“I’m delighted to be joining Accelerated Payments at such an exciting stage of its growth. The business has built a strong reputation for delivering flexible and innovative funding solutions, and I look forward to working with the team to support clients and drive further expansion.”
Commenting on the appointment, Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, Mike Rose added:
“We are very pleased to welcome Russ Harker to Accelerated Payments. His extensive experience across commercial finance, risk, and sales leadership makes him a valuable addition to the team as we continue to grow across our core markets and beyond.”
