Vantage Finance has appointed Tesco Bank’s Jon Daniels as sales director.

Daniels has 19 years’ experience in financial services sales, as he headed up insurance partnerships at Tesco Bank and was head of protection insurance before that.

He also held numerous senior roles at Aviva, finishing a 13-year stint at the firm as UK head of key account management in 2009.

He said: ‘I’ve spent my career developing relationships with key partners and have most enjoyed working in businesses with a strong brand that are ripe for growth.

“Vantage fits that description perfectly – the feedback they receive from intermediaries and lenders is exemplary.

‘The specialist finance market has really taken off in the past five years and there is huge potential to build on this momentum.”

He added that intermediaries are increasingly turning to specialists after the Mortgage Credit Directive which means it’s an exciting time for specialist finance.

In May Vantage received private equity investment from Chiltern Capital and in June hired ex-Aviva life and pension chief executive David Barral as chairman.

Vantage has ambitious growth plans for the next three years.

Lucy Hodge, managing director of Vantage, said: “This year has marked a shift in gear for Vantage.  We have a unique service-led proposition, a strong brand, high calibre talent and the investment capital to enable us to deliver on our future growth plans.

“We look forward to working with intermediaries to help them capitalise on the increasing demand for specialist commercial lending solutions.”

She added: “Jon’s track record and experience speaks for itself and I’m thrilled he has chosen to come on board with Vantage at such a key time in our development.

“We are now in a terrific position to grow the business, helping to support increasing numbers of brokers with their clients’ specialist finance needs.’