CHARLIE Barker (pictured) has joined Yorkshire Bank as acquisition finance director to strengthen its support for corporate banking customers in Yorkshire and the North East.

He previously spent 11 years at Deloitte, including eight in the corporate finance advisory team.

Charlie has worked working on a range of merger and acquisitions in both the private equity and corporate arenas. including advising HgCapital and Zenith management on the buyout of Calverley-based Zenith and Leasedrive.

Dan Rosinke, head of corporate banking for Yorkshire Bank in the east of England, said: “The addition of Charlie to our team reinforces our commitment to support growing corporates and the acquisition finance market in Yorkshire and the North East of England."

“Market conditions are improving and many businesses are taking advantage of increased confidence and activity to invest and ready themselves for a period of consistent growth. Our recent experience points to a buoyant leveraged market with increased deal flow in recent months.”