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Two members of the British Business Bank’s Board awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list 2020

Two members of the British Business Bank’s Board have been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list 2020. General Counsel, Shanika Amarasekara, has been awarded an MBE for services to Business and the Economy and Neeta Atkar, Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Bank’s Risk Committee, has been awarded an MBE for services to Small Business Finance.

Shanika Amarasekara

During Covid-19, Shanika led the successful launch of the Future Fund scheme to support innovative UK companies with good potential, that typically rely on equity investment and were affected by Covid-19. The Future Fund will help these companies through the current period of economic disruption and the recovery, so they are able to continue their growth trajectory and reach their full economic potential.

Shanika has also contributed to high profile projects outside of her work at the Bank and is a Non-executive Director of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as well as the London Stadium. She has previously been recognised for breaking down barriers at work and working hard for ethnic minorities and was most recently listed in EMpower’s Top 100 Ethnic Minority Role Model List 2019.

An informal image of Shanika Amarasekara - General Counsel & Company Secretary at BBB

 

Neeta Atkar

Until the end of 2016, Neeta was the Chief Risk Officer at TSB Bank plc and was a key member of the Executive team that was responsible for creating the bank that was divested from Lloyds Banking Group and undertaking a successful IPO in 2014. She is currently on the Board of Yorkshire Building Society Group and is Chair of its Risk Committee.

Neeta started her career at the Bank of England, undertaking a variety of roles both in the Bank’s own banking department and in its supervisory function. She moved to the FSA on its creation, leaving in 2000 to move into consulting where she worked with a range of financial service clients on risk and regulatory matters. Thereafter, she has held senior positions at both banks and insurance companies, in a range of roles covering operational, credit and regulatory risks.

A half-body image of Neeta Atkar, Senior Independent Director and Chair of Risk Committee at BBB