Enduring fixture on Bradford finance scene reaps rewards after putting faith in experienced Manjit

Manjit Wolstenholme is bringing a wide range of experience to her role as the independent non-executive chairman of Provident Financial '“ a key player in Bradford city centre.
Manjit Wolstenholme, the independent non-executive chairman of Provident Financial.Manjit Wolstenholme, the independent non-executive chairman of Provident Financial.
Manjit Wolstenholme, the independent non-executive chairman of Provident Financial.

Manjit comes from an impressive background, having qualified as an accountant with Coopers & Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers.

She served for 13 years with the Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein bank, advancing to co-head for investment banking, where she was responsible for managing the division as well as advising clients on a wide range of transactions.

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Amongst various other roles, in June 2007 she became an independent non-executive director at Provident Financial – one of Bradford’s oldest companies.

The company was established in Bradford in 1880 by Joshua Kelley Waddilove to provide affordable credit to families in West Yorkshire.

It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1962, reaching a great milestone in October 2015 by entering the FTSE 100.

Provident Financial was able to move to their new home in the Southgate development thanks to Bradford Council offering a loan to the developers of Southgate to enable them to complete the scheme at the height of the recession.

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The loan was quickly paid back and the development by McAleer and Rushe was completed, including the 200-bed Jurys Inn, as well as a new HQ for Provident.

At that time Provident relocated its 650 employees into the building but due to the company’s phenomenal growth, it has now doubled the size of the workforce.

Bradford Council leader Coun David Green told Yorkshire Vision: “We were very pleased to be able to offer financial assistance to enable the Southgate development to go ahead, and which eventually became the new home of Provident Financial.

“The company, which has been based here for over 100 years, has built on its long history with Bradford and gone from strength to strength.

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“They must be really proud of the fact that they have entered the top FTSE 100 index. It is quite an achievement.”

Bradford Council also offers support to businesses through its City Centre Growth Zone funding, which offers capital grants and rate relief to those firms creating jobs.