About Catherine Lewis La Torre

At British Business Bank, Catherine Lewis La Torre is on a mission to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and enable the transition to a net-zero economy by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. The bank provides businesses with the finance they need to start up, scale up, and navigate recovery, funding ventures in frontier sectors to maintain the UK’s position as a science superpower. The organization promotes sustainable growth and diversity by creating opportunities for the best talent, regardless of region, social background, gender, ethnicity, or age, ensuring more businesses can access the necessary finance. She joined as CEO in September 2020, having previously led the Bank’s commercial arm as CEO of British Business Investments from 2016 and CEO of British Patient Capital from 2018. Before her time at the British Business Bank, she managed global portfolios of private capital investments for UK pension funds, co-founded a fund-of-funds manager, and ran a consultancy business advising Sovereign Wealth Funds and institutional investors. In the summer, she enjoys spending time in Tuscany with family and friends. Over the past two years, she has balanced her time between studying for an Executive Master’s degree at the London School of Economics and staying connected with her teenage daughter—both challenging but rewarding endeavors. Catherine Lewis La Torre has over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry specializing in alternative investments, including private equity, private debt, venture capital and technology investing. In addition to her leadership roles, her strategic focus has been on the design and implementation of ambitious private capital investment strategies. Catherine has a proven track record having operated at partner level with several European private equity firms. Catherine also worked closely with the most senior members of the UK Government to launch large scale debt and equity investment programmes and has advised global institutional investors on their private capital strategies.