Mike Smith is an experienced financial professional and serial entrepreneur with over four decades of experience in the financial services industry.

He began his career as a financial planner in 1979, and within 11 years, he and his co-directors had grown the financial services business to one of the largest in the UK. The company was then sold to a major financial institution.

Mike went on to work as a Director for Blue Chip boards of Sun Alliance, Legal & General, and Laser UK (BNP Parisba), all of which were regulated by the Financial Services Act and/or the Banking Act, requiring regular and frequent testing. Through these roles, he gained a comprehensive understanding of financial services and the banking sector.

As Head of Business Development at LaSer UK, where he was in charge of the development of new markets and processes for banking and credit cards, Mike was reporting directly to the board and the Managing Director.

He was also the Business Development Director at Legal & General, where he was tasked with developing alternative distribution and troubleshooting services for small to medium businesses.

Additionally, Mike has served as the National Development Manager at Sun Alliance Life & Pensions, advising the board on company development for small to medium enterprises and troubleshooting underperforming branches and regions.

In 2007, Mike shifted his focus from Blue Chip companies to SMEs and began advising UK SMEs. Since then, he has helped hundreds of directors navigate precarious financial positions.

Mike is currently a Director at Company Debt Ltd, which specialises in providing support and rescue options for UK SMEs in financial difficulty and who are in need of licensed insolvency advice.

Mike is also a Director on the board here at Business Expert and has a wide range of experience in invoice discounting and factoring after several years of advising UK businesses on this form of asset-based finance. He also has extensive knowledge in the property finance areas within the UK, as well as the banking sector.