Stuart Austin
Director
Stuart started the business back in 2010, after setting up his own asset finance broker business, Prolease Ltd in 1991.
By day, Stuart is the founder and MD at Promarine Finance, but when not in the office, Stuart has a life-long passion for being out on the water.
Following a childhood being only vaguely aware of dinghy racing in Birmingham and a visit to Earl’s Court Boat Show in his early 20s, Stuart found he had an unexplainable interest wanting to own a sailing yacht. But it wasn’t until 2005, after a family holiday, dinghy sailing in Greece that Stuart’s sailing journey finally began.
Stuart is now a keen sailor, having owned several boats and enjoys long distance running, cycling and keeping fit (when he’s not suffering from running injuries).
Liza Austin
Director
Liza Austin is a Director at Promarine and is Stuart’s wife. Within the business, Liza’s role focuses on ensuring all the paperwork for our customers is managed impeccably, whilst overseeing the day-to-day running of the business.
Living on the Welsh / Herefordshire borders, Liza enjoys an active lifestyle which includes horse riding, competitive running and cooking – whilst enjoying sailing in warmer climates.
Julie Crang
Business Development
Boasting a 20-year career in marine sales, Julie is embarking on a new journey by moving into the marine finance sector as part of the Senior Management team. Julie feels working in the marine industry has always been the key to her success and happiness, confirming this new role is more than just a job.
Following a career in target-driven, strong sales environments in large organisations, Julie’s move to Promarine is quite the change. “Moving to work with the team at Promarine is not like another day at the office, it’s more of a new family and I can see why our customers work with us.”
Mirroring most of her marine colleagues, Julie spends most of her free time, afloat with her family and friends.
Ross Shaw
Finance Director
Ross, a CIMA-qualified accountant with over two decades of experience in the Asset Finance Sector, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Promarine Finance. In his personal life, Ross is an avid golfer, an avid music listener, and a wildlife photographer. He has embarked on several photography trips including Alaska to capture stunning photographs of brown bears during the salmon run and to Rwanda to witness majestic mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Ross’s career in the industry began in 2001 when he joined Singer & Friedlander Leasing Limited as their accountant. In this role, he was responsible for managing the accounting operations of the Healthcare Finance and Block Discounting Divisions of the business. Following the restructuring of the asset finance divisions, Ross was promoted to Financial Controller for the Healthcare Finance business, Singers Healthcare Finance. In 2011, he further advanced to the position of Finance Director of the business.
In 2012, Shawbrook Bank acquired Singers Healthcare Finance, and Ross remained with the company during the transition period. In 2014, he transitioned into the Business Planning and Analysis team of Shawbrook Bank, where he focused on the asset finance portfolio. In 2017, Ross joined D&D Leasing UK Ltd as Head of Finance, overseeing all accounting functions and reporting. D&D Leasing specializes in providing loans to the professions industry and small businesses in the asset finance sector. In November 2024, Ross joined Promarine Finance as Finance Director, bringing his extensive experience and expertise to the company.
Aaron French
Sales and Marketing Manager
After nearly eighteen years as a yacht broker and Director on the UK east coast, Aaron moved up North, and joined Promarine Finance in 2024 as Sales and Marketing Manager.
With extensive experience across a wide range of vessels and a strong reputation for customer service, he supports our business development whilst looking at ways for us to help more customers get afloat!
In addition to his many years of experience in the marine industry, Aaron has a wealth of first hand knowledge of boating as a serial boat owner himself. Outside work, he enjoys exploring the countryside, restoring old mountain bikes, and spending time on the water.
Kathryn Price
Business Development
Kathryn joined Promarine Finance in October 2024, bringing 38 years of experience in Asset Finance and Banking with her. Prior to this, she worked in Asset Management at a National Bank, where she managed and controlled a large marine portfolio, covering all areas of marine finance for Leisure and Commercial customers. With her extensive expertise in asset finance and a strong track record of building lasting customer relationships, she is a valuable addition to the team.
Although Kathryn doesn’t sail, and living in South Yorkshire there are few opportunities to do so, she loves to cruise the oceans and see the world. “Travel is my passion, and waking up in new places, experiencing different cultures is wonderful, it makes me feel so alive. I have been very lucky to see so many wonderful countries, making memories with family and friends along the way, and I am always looking forward to my next adventure!”
Charles Wilkinson
Head of Leisure Marine
Charles has spent his entire career in the marine industry, with boating firmly in his blood from an early age mainly through his father, who captained a range of vessels from minesweepers to superyachts.
His journey began with superyachts, spending several years working at sea and travelling all over Europe, Eastern USA and the Caribbean. After the fast pace of peak summer, Charles also managed a deck team to carry out extensive maintenance and refit projects over winter in shipyards, internationally, ready for the following season.
Moving ashore into yacht brokerage, he has spent eight years working within the UK leisure marine market. This was most recently for a dealership representing a leading global yacht brand, and the UK’s largest yacht manufacturer.
Charles has now joined Promarine Finance to combine his practical marine background and industry knowledge in leading our Leisure Marine division.
Outside of work, Charles loves sport and travelling, from a round of golf to scuba diving in the Mediterranean.