- Richard will lead Ignite’s healthcare and education strategy, funding proven social care, primary care and education providers with £1m to £25m.
- Former Head of Healthcare at ThinCats, where he helped build the sector’s leading non-bank lender, and a former care-home owner-operator.
Ignite Funding Partners (Ignite), the specialist lender to proven, mid-sized SMEs, has appointed Richard Henshaw as Senior Healthcare & Education Partner. In this role, Richard will focus on operators in social care, primary care and education, providing tailored facilities to support their growth ambitions.
The healthcare and education strategy will back growing businesses across some of the UK’s most essential services. In social care, it will back operators of care homes, domiciliary care, specialist care and children’s residential care. In primary care, it will support pharmacies, dental practices and opticians, and in education, it will fund private and SEN schools. Its team will support operators through every stage of growth, from expansion and refurbishment to expanding capacity and changes in ownership, lending on the strength of how a business is run rather than on property values alone.
Richard is a recognised specialist in healthcare and education lending, with more than 27 years’ experience across both sectors. He was previously Head of Healthcare at ThinCats, where he helped build the business into the sector’s leading non-bank lender, earning numerous awards and nominations. Before that, he held senior roles at RBS, AIB and Chandler & Co. Richard also owned and ran care homes for six years, giving him first-hand experience of the challenges his borrowers face.
Ravi Anand, Founder and Managing Partner of Ignite Funding Partners, said:
“Richard is one of the most respected healthcare and education lenders in the UK, and I have seen his ability to build a market-leading franchise first-hand. He brings an operator’s perspective that is rare among lenders. This makes him the ideal person to lead our healthcare and education strategy as we partner with ambitious operators to support their growth.”
Richard Henshaw, Senior Healthcare & Education Partner at Ignite Funding Partners, added:
“Ignite has the experience, relationships and partnership approach to become a significant, much-needed source of funding for growing UK businesses, in healthcare, education and beyond. Proven social care, primary care and education providers have significant growth ambitions, and they need a funding partner that understands them and the challenges they face. I look forward to working with operators, advisers and investors across the UK to provide the flexible, long-term capital these businesses need to grow and to continue delivering high-quality service.”
