Former Goldie Lookin Chain rapper and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew 'Maggot' Major has swapped his track suit for a business suit as he return to Newport to work for a financial firm.

He's arguably done more to promote Newport on the world stage than Sir Terry Matthews, but now Andrew has developed his business wings and is helping SMEs throughout the city to fly high.

With a background in insurance underwriting and finance computer systems testing, he brings a wealth of finance experience to the South Wales business scene.

He also says that the city has changed so much for the better in the 20 years he lived away in London.

Andrew said: "South Wales, and Newport especially, has always held a special place in my heart, and there's a palpable buzz in the business community that I've not seen before.

"From the investment in Friars Walk to the soon-to-be-unveiled tribute to boxing legend David 'Bomber' Pearce, we see that improvement always comes down to individuals who are willing to put their heads above the parapet; they don't just sit on sidelines and complain.

"It's a really exciting time for our small businesses out there, but they need some help.

"Regardless of company or industry sector, the elephant in the room is cash flow. Many SMEs are waiting 30, 60 or even 120 days for their invoices to be paid. It is crippling them.

"I've seen businesses relying on expensive bridging loans and credit cards to pay the wages and bills. They incur unnecessary debt whilst their money is sitting in someone else's bank account.

"That's just crazy, but more and more businesses are waking up to the fact that they can do something about it," he said.

UCF arranges for third party finance houses to effectively 'buy' their invoices; paying up to 95 per cent of the value in as little as 24 hours.

"In essence, we give businesses instant access to their own money. Freeing up cash flow is such a simple concept, but we have had many clients saying it makes the difference between success and failure," said Andrew.

"I may be too old for tracksuits, and my knees can't take all the jumping around, but I've had a wonderful career so far, and can think of nothing better than now working with a cracking team to help others on their own journey to success.

"And that's the thing I love about my job: it's not the bottom line figures, but the real-life results for the people we work with.

"To hear a client overjoyed to have the money in their account to cover staff wages: there is little else more satisfying, I have to say."

UCF director, Joe Patrick, says that he offered Andrew a job within an hour of meeting him.

He said: "We are in a growth industry, and are always on the lookout for people who will add to our close-knit team.

"Within a few minutes of meeting Andrew, I forgot about his entertainment stuff, and thought that he would make a brilliant finance broker. Business-minded, instantly likeable and intelligent, he was also someone with exactly the sort of integrity that we adore.

"He will certainly help our company thrive, and we are lucky to have him aboard," he said.

Since it formed 14 months ago, Rogerstone-based UCF has brokered around £17m in instant invoice payments for businesses across the UK, and is on course to exceed £30m by the end of year two.