Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the bank of the world’s most innovative businesses, enterprises and their investors, has today announced Erin Platts as Head of EMEA and President of Silicon Valley Bank’s UK Branch.

Platts’ appointment was approved by the FCA today. She replaces Phil Cox, who has taken the Chief Operating Officer role with the parent company, SVB Financial Group, at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Simon Bumfrey will take over Platt’s previous role, Head of Relationship Banking, Europe. 

A 15-year veteran of SVB, Platts most recently has served as Head of Relationship Banking for Europe. She has a strong background in market and product development, delivering upon banking and debt transactions for technology and life sciences companies and their investors. Having originally joined SVB’s Boston office in 2004 before she transitioned to the UK office in 2007, Platts is a well-connected and active champion of the global innovation economy.

Her initial focus is to continue to build out the UK banking platform by introducing new financial products and services to help technology and life science companies to scale. In addition, Platts will be responsible for SVB’s continued European growth.  Platts is passionate about diversity in technology and finance, and has established partnerships with UK organisations including Diversity VC, Stonewall, Career Ready and Mums in Tech, as well as working with the Boardlist, Astia and Backstage Capital at a global level. SVB is dedicated to hiring and retaining diverse teams and plans to hire 40 new employees in the UK this year so that the bank can continue to focus on its goal of providing innovation businesses with a world class client experience.

 Erin Platts, Head of EMEA and President of Silicon Valley Bank’s UK Branch, said:

 “I am delighted to step into this new role. In addition to building out our banking platform, my focus will be on furthering the great culture of SVB as we continue to build our brand, while providing clients with an outstanding partnership and platform to grow their businesses. Helping our clients scale in Europe and across the globe is more important than ever as we navigate Brexit and the tech talent crunch.

This is an exciting time for Silicon Valley Bank and the technology ecosystem at large – disruption and innovation is booming in Europe and there is significant demand for capital and infrastructure to help support this growth.”  

Commenting on the appointment, Phil Cox, Chief Operating Officer at Silicon Valley Bank and former Head of EMEA, added: “Erin is a dynamic, inspirational leader and I am pleased to see her at the helm in Europe. This is a great move for SVB – and a testament to Erin’s unwavering support for our clients over the last fifteen years.” 

Catherine Wines, Co-founder at WorldRemit, commented: “I have worked with Erin for many years – she is a formidable leader with a keen understanding of our industry, a passion for making entrepreneurs successful and a rigour that will stand the European teams in good stead for the future.”  

Jan Hammer, Partner at Index Ventures, said: “Silicon Valley Bank has been a great partner to us, our entrepreneurs and the whole startup ecosystem. With the growth of the European tech sector accelerating, it's great to see the bank's continued investment in the region."

Simon Bumfrey has been promoted to Head of Relationship Banking, Europe. He joined SVB in 2017 as Head of Technology Banking UK & Ireland, having spent 20 years leading and operating within teams focused on the TMT sector in Barclays, Bank of Ireland and Lloyds. Bumfrey has extensive experience in client management and building teams and will be instrumental to the bank’s ambitious hiring plans as it expands its European footprint.

Simon Bumfrey, Silicon Valley Bank’s Head of Relationship Banking – Europe, said: "This is an exciting opportunity to support the continued expansion of Silicon Valley Bank across EMEA. My focus is on developing great people and serving the niche subsectors we specialise in – such as SaaS, life sciences and healthcare, fintech and consumer internet. We are laser-focused on our clients at SVB and I look forward to working more closely with them and their investors to help them achieve their goals.”

Silicon Valley Bank is committed to supporting the vibrant innovation sector in EMEA and the entrepreneurs and business leaders leading high-growth, disruptive technology businesses. SVB works with businesses such as Trustpilot, HelloFresh, Atlantic Therapeutics, The Hut Group, Secret Escapes and Made.com as they pave the way toward further growth.