About CNC Asset Finance

John Blanchflower LL.B (Hons), ACIB

John has been working in the financing and leasing industry since the 1980s and has gained extensive industrial experience at senior levels. After learning the basics at Lloyds Bowmaker, John became a founder director of Hill Hire plc. He moved onto head the Commercial Division/External Sales at Sovereign Finance plc that became part of Alliance & Leicester, where he sat on the executive committee and chaired the strategic re-engineering of their leasing business.

By 1998, John had become Managing Director of Leeds Leasing plc where he grew business by 600% by the time he left in 2004. He then became Managing Director of Haydock Finance Limited and created the transformation from a consumer-retail finance house to a business-to-business one, thus substantially increasing profitability beyond previous levels. John's next challenge was setting up new industrial business streams as head of ULL Industrial Limited, which he completed successfully.

Today, John has a number of non-executive business interests but focuses his time on building CNC Asset Finance into a major UK provider of finance for industrial, marine and air assets.

Charley Grimston BA (Hons)

After a successful career in the British Army, Charley returned to civilian life in 1983, joining the insurance industry at Willis Faber's Reinsurance Division serving European and Lloyd's of London Market clients.

By 1991, Charley had set up Grimston Insurance Services to specialise in designing and implementing bespoke insurance programmes for lenders, financial insurance and reinsurance broking with emphasis on non-traditional coverage.

Always an entrepreneur, Charley then formed Hambro Conning Grimston (HCG) in 1993. This was a joint venture with Conning & Co, a US investment bank specialising in the insurance sector, JO Hambro, a UK investment bank and Grimston Insurance Services. HCG Lloyd's Investment Trust was floated on London Stock Exchange, the first quoted underwriting vehicle. Founder member of Lloyd's Corporate Capital Association, a trade association representing quoted Lloyd's underwriting entities.

In 1999, Charley returned to a full-time focus on Grimston Insurance Services, where he continued his innovation. The result has been, amongst others, the CNC family of companies, including CNC Asset Finance and CNC Asset Management.