In her role, Jennifer will have responsibility for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and her team will engage closely with business finance stakeholders in the three nations.

Jennifer has spent the past two years as a special adviser to the secretary of state for Scotland.

Prior to that, she worked for nearly three years in HM Treasury as special adviser to the then chancellor George Osborne.

This appointment comes as the BBB establishes a UK network to help enhance business finance ecosystems so smaller businesses can grow and prosper.

The bank also hopes to develop a deeper understanding of small business access to finance markets in all parts of the UK.

Judith Hartley, managing director of UK Network at BBB, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jennifer to the British Business Bank’s new UK Network team.

“This team is effectively a ‘start-up’ within the bank, so Jennifer is joining at a really exciting time.

“I’m confident she will be a great ambassador for the bank in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and that she’ll develop warm relationships with business finance stakeholders in all three nations.”

Jennifer added: “I want to help the bank build lasting connections between us, the nations’ smaller businesses and the business finance ecosystems that serve them across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“We want to enable smaller businesses to explore the different finance options available and I’m looking forward to getting started.”