Then vs now. Our office, our staff and our culture

A lot changes in twenty years. Offices move, teams grow, and the tools we use to do the job look nothing like they did in 2006. But some things stay the same. Here’s a look at NGI Finance then and now.

The office

Then: NGI Finance started with minimal overheads and a simple home office set-up.

Now: Today we have a dedicated commercial office in a thriving business community in Oxfordshire.

The team

Then: With just one employee, Maria Morris was responsible for every aspect of the business.

Now: We have a team of 12 dynamic and experienced business professionals working across our two businesses, NGI Finance and NGI Franchise Funding.

The tools

Then: In 2006, business finance ran on paper applications, phone calls, fax and email attachments, along with one single analogue telephone.

Now: Digital applications, e-signatures, online lender portals and smarter systems mean deals move faster than they ever could. Our bespoke CRM is fully integrated. We embrace technology where it helps, but we always recognise that it never replaces a conversation.

The clients

Then: A client base largely made up of Oxford and Oxfordshire businesses, many of them introduced through personal recommendation.

Now: Clients across the whole of the UK, across a broader range of services including Business & Asset Finance, Business Loans, Invoice Finance and Property & Development Finance. The relationships still start the same way, with a proper conversation.

The culture

Then and now: The thing we’re proudest of is that the culture hasn’t changed. Conversations matter, customer experience comes first and giving back to the community is part of who we are, from the local charities we’ve supported to Chris’s fundraising for the British Heart Foundation. 

What’s stayed the same

Offices move, teams grow and technology moves on, but the way we work hasn’t. Twenty years in, we’re still a business built on people and we wouldn’t have it any other way.