Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top London based Executive Director operating in the Financial Services space. If you think a Executive Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Kirk A. Lepke
Executive Director, GS Growth of Goldman Sachs
Kirk A. Lepke is an Executive Director, GS Growth at Goldman Sachs. He was a member of the firm’s investment activities in Europe. Prior to Summit, Kirk worked for Torch Partners and Morgan Keegan Technology Group. He received a BA in commerce, organizations and entrepreneurship, magna cum laude, from Brown University.
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About Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.
Russell Berry
Executive Director of Goldman Sachs
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About Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.
Oleg Rasskazov
Executive Director, Quantitative Research of JP Morgan Chase
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About JP Morgan Chase: JP Morgan Chase is a global financial services provider that offers investment banking, asset management, treasury, and other services.
Richard Hayden
Executive Director of JP Morgan Chase
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About JP Morgan Chase: JP Morgan Chase is a global financial services provider that offers investment banking, asset management, treasury, and other services.
Stephan Apel
Executive Director of Moelis & Company
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About Moelis & Company, Outlier Ventures: Moelis & Company is an investment bank that provides innovative strategic advice and solutions to a diverse client base.
Johannes Bauer
Data Analytics Executive Director of IHS Markit
Johannes is Data Analytics Associate Director at IHS Markit, a global information and intelligence provider. He technically manages multiple data science projects across various business lines including finance, the automotive industry and the energy sector. He has a keen interest in the full data science spectrum including mathematical statistics, machine learning, databases, distributed computing, and dynamic visualizations. He holds a PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics from Imperial College and has been active in quantitative research for more than 10 years including research positions at Harvard University and the Max-Planck Institute in Germany. He has disseminated his research in more than 30 peer reviewed publications and over 50 talks.
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About IHS Markit: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
Mark Pettit
Executive Director, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships of Visa
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About Visa: Visa is a multinational financial services company that facilitates electronic payment systems throughout the world.
Marc Moses
Executive Director and Group Chief Risk Officer of HSBC
Marc Moses was appointed as an Executive Director of HSBC Holdings plc in January 2014. He is Group Chief Risk Officer, with responsibility for risk and compliance, and a member of the Group Management Board, positions he has held since December 2010. Mr Moses joined HSBC in November 2005 as Chief Financial and Risk Officer with global responsibility for leading and managing the Global Banking and Markets finance and risk functions. In January 2008 he was also appointed Chief of Staff, responsible for all infrastructure in Global Banking and Markets. Mr Moses began his career at Sedgwick before joining Bankers Trust as a fixed income, money market and futures trader. He is a qualified accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He was audit partner and head of the market risk advisory group at PricewaterhouseCoopers and in 1999 he joined JP Morgan as European chief financial officer and global head of the valuation control group. Mr Moses is married with four children. He is a keen Arsenal football supporter and enjoys playing tennis.
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About HSBC: HSBC is a banking and financial services organization that offers a comprehensive range of services.
Thomas Teichman
Chairman and Executive Director of Spark Ventures
Tom is the Chairman of SPARK Venture Management and has a long track record in backing, chairing and developing some of Europe’s most successful internet, technology, music, games and software businesses. Additionally, he has 20 years’ prior investment banking experience acquired at Credit Suisse, Bank of Montreal Nesbitt and Mitsubishi Bank, where he held various positions including Head of Corporate Finance, Trading and Syndicate. Tom was Executive Chairman of SPARK Ventures plc for 10 years until 2011 and now chairs SPARK Venture Management, which manages the SPARK Ventures plc portfolio and other significant technology and life sciences portfolios including funds from major institutions and 27 Oxford University colleges and the UK Government. Tom has operated hands-on after his City days in many small and fast growing businesses from start up to IPO or trade sale. Thus, unusually, he combines awareness of the capital markets and the M&A environments with that of entrepreneurial, rapid growth companies with mould-breaking ideas.
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About Simba Sleep, The Garage Soho: SPARK Venture is an early-stage venture capital investor in Europe.
Stuart Jeffrey
Executive Director and Co Founder of Fly Now Pay Later
Stuart Jeffrey is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fly Now Pay Later.
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About Fly Now Pay Later, Krzana, Movebubble: Fly Now Pay Later is a fintech company that helps consumers split the cost of their travel in monthly installments.
Alexis Scorer
Executive Director of GP Bullhound
Alexis is an Executive Director at GP Bullhound. He has broad experience across the technology industry and has led successful M&A transactions in sectors including software, IT services, telecoms, internet and digital media. Prior to joining GP Bullhound, Alexis was Director of corporate development at Experian where he was responsible for deal origination and execution for the EMEA region. He previously spent more than 10 years working in the technology sector and held international Corporate Development roles at HP Enterprise Services and EDS, where he worked on numerous acquisitions and divestments across Europe. Alexis holds a BSc Joint Hons. in International Management and Modern Languages from the University of Bath and an MBA from Imperial College Business School.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Richard Little
Non Executive Director of Thought Machine
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About Azur Group, CENTURY Tech, Concirrus, IQ Capital, Thought Machine: Thought Machine is a Fintech company that builds cloud-native technology to revolutionize core banking.
Andy Phillipps
Non Executive Director of Thought Machine
Andy Phillipps is the Advisor, IC and Venture Partner at IQ Capital.
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About Cambridge Judge Business School, Prodigy Finance, PROfounders Capital, Thought Machine, Trainline: Thought Machine is a Fintech company that builds cloud-native technology to revolutionize core banking.
Alice Avis
Non-Executive Director of Business Growth Fund
Alice Avis joined the board of BGF in April 2016 and brings a wealth of marketing, e-commerce and executive experience. During her time as Chief Executive and Chair at The Sanctuary Spa, Alice oversaw a trebling of the business’s value and its sale to PZ Cussons. Most recently she served as Executive Chairman for Lumene Oy, a Finnish skincare and cosmetics company. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at The Edrington Group, a privately-owned international spirits company, and Cyden Limited, a British beauty and health company, as well as serving as an advisor to the National Trust. Alice’s experience includes stints as Director of Marketing and e-Commerce at Marks and Spencer, and as Global Brand Director at Johnnie Walker. In 2009 she was awarded an MBE for services to the beauty industry.
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About Business Growth Fund: Business Growth Fund is an influential investor in small and mid-sized businesses.
James Chew
Non Executive Director of Business Growth Fund
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About Business Growth Fund: Business Growth Fund is an influential investor in small and mid-sized businesses.
Coline McConville
Non Executive Director of 3i Group
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About 3i Group: 3i is an international investment manager focused on mid-market Private Equity, Infrastructure & Debt Management.
Catherine Wines
Executive Director & Co-Founder of Zepz
Catherine is a qualified accountant with public company board experience and extensive commercial experience in the money transfer industry. Previously she was the Managing Director of First Remit, an international money transfer business subsequently acquired by Travelex Money Transfer where she became the Regional Director for UK, Ireland and Benelux as well as Operations Director. Catherine was one of the founding team members of WorldRemit.
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About Beam, Cambridge Judge Business School, Zepz: Zepz is a money transfer service that helps migrants send money to their loved ones all over the world.
Mark Stokes
Non-Executive Director of Pembroke VCT
Mark Stokes has over 30 years of experience in financial services, and 20 years at the Executive Committee level. He is currently Chief Commercial Officer at United Trust Bank, and previously held Managing Director positions at Lloyds Corporate and Commercial Banking, Williams & Glyn, and Metro Bank. He has a deep understanding of business strategy, execution, performance management, risk management, and governance. Mark has broad business experience from a career lending into commercial and SME markets, and consumer and asset finance markets, which includes M&A execution and capital markets fundraising. He has also previously served as a Non-Executive Director Alternate with Motobility Operations Group plc. Mark is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and has completed their Green and Sustainable Finance certification. He also holds a Diploma in Company Direction and Board Development from the Institute of Directors.
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About Pembroke VCT: Pembroke is a venture capital trust focusing on growth stage companies in the health and fitness, apparel, media, and technology sectors.
Louise Wolfson
Non-Executive Director of Pembroke VCT
Louise is a senior corporate lawyer who was previously a partner at Allen & Overy LLP and Pinsent Masons LLP. She has a particular focus on corporate finance transactions and has wider experience including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic investments, capital raisings, and listings. Louise currently works as a freelance legal consultant and sits as a tribunal judge hearing social security and immigration appeals. Louise is also a director of Women’s Pioneer Housing, a housing association that supports women in West London.
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About Pembroke VCT: Pembroke is a venture capital trust focusing on growth stage companies in the health and fitness, apparel, media, and technology sectors.
Daniel Wray
Senior Executive Director of Global Reach Group
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About Global Reach Group: Global Reach Group is a leading foreign currency provider for corporates and personal clients.
Liz Hewitt
Non Executive Director of National Grid Partners
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About National Grid Partners: National Grid Partners makes and manages strategically and financially attractive investments and leads company-wide innovation efforts.
Thomas Munk
Executive Director of Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Thomas Munk was the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Compare Europe Group. He currently serves as an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
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About Goldman Sachs Asset Management: Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides institutional and individual investors with investment and advisory solutions.
Tim Cartledge
Executive Director of 24 Exchange
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About 24 Exchange: 24 Exchange renders multi-asset trading platform for professional quants and active traders.
Alasdair Marnoch
Non-Executive Director of The Post Office
Alasdair Marnoch joined the Board of Post Office Limited as a Non-Executive Director on 23 May 2012. A Chartered Accountant, he chair’s the Board’s Audit, Risk and Compliance Sub-Committee which reviews the statutory accounts and financial controls. Alasdair has had wide experience as Finance Director of a number of FMCG and service businesses, including listed companies. Most recently he served as CFO of the Equiniti Group, a leading provider of complex administration and processing services to the public and private sectors.
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About : Post Office is a retail post office company that provides a wide range of products, including postage stamps and banking to the public.
Tim Franklin
Non-Executive Director of The Post Office
Tim Franklin joined the Board of Post Office Limited as a Non-Executive Director on 19 September 2012. Tim was Chief Operating Officer to the Co-operative Banking Group until the end of 2011, having previously served as Managing Director of the Britannia Building Society. Prior to that, he was Director of Customer Programmes and Loyalty and Managing Director of Savings at Barclays. Tim’s experience extends across the private and public sectors. He is also a Non-Executive Director of HM Land Registry and was previously on the Boards of Reclaim Fund Limited, Mutual Plus Limited and the Link Cash Machines Network.
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About : Post Office is a retail post office company that provides a wide range of products, including postage stamps and banking to the public.
Peter Williams
Non-Executive Director of Bridges Fund Management
Peter Williams has 34 years experience in private equity. Until recently he was a group board member and head of UK at 3i, Europe’s leading quoted venture capital company. He qualified as a chartered accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Birmingham. In 1970 he joined 3i where he spent his career working in their offices in Birmingham, Liverpool, Brighton and London until he retired in 2002. He has been a council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the CBI Small Firms Council as well as a non-executive director of a number of companies.
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About : Bridges Fund Management is a specialist fund manager dedicated to sustainable and impact investment.
Leonard Seelig
Executive Director of BABB
Leonard is supporting BABB in implementing best practices on both market-facing and operational processes. He has twenty years of banking experience, including in the technology sector, and in helping lead both private and public companies. Leonard has recently retired from his role as chairman of APC Technology Group PLC, and Board member of Defenx PLC, a security software company listed on the AIM London stock market.
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About BABB: BABB is a world bank for the micro-economy: a global marketplace for human innovation, financial autonomy and wealth creation.
Aidene Walsh
Non Executive Director of Payment Systems Regulator
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About Capability and Innovation Fund, Payment Systems Regulator: Payment Systems Regulator is the economic regulator for the payment systems industry in the UK.
Matt Gatrell
COO and Board Executive Director of Nutmeg
Matt joined Nutmeg in April 2018 bringing over 20 years of financial services technology experience with him. As Nutmeg’s CTO, Matt ensures our technology strategy matches our business strategy. Prior to joining Nutmeg, Matt held the position of Chief Technical Officer at both Neilson Financial Services and MarketInvoice. His experience has been rounded out by 13 years at BancTec, a global top 100 financial services technology provider, where he held a number of roles, including R&D Director. Matt holds a PhD in Software Engineering from Brunel University.
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About Nutmeg: Nutmeg is an online investment service that specializes in investments, ISAs and pensions.
Helen Stevenson
Non-Executive Director, Chair of Remuneration Committee of IG
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About IG, Navitas Semiconductor, Wellington College, Berkshire: IG provides Financial Spread Betting, Contracts for Difference (CFDs), Forex Trading and Execution-Only Share Dealing services.
Richard Stillwell
Non-Executive Director of Curo Group
Richard Stillwell joined the Board on 1 September 2006 and was appointed Chairman of the Company on 26 April 2011. Richard was executive vice president of ICI plc, where he had held various posts for 26 years until 2000, before changing career and qualifying as a barrister. More recently Richard has held Non-Executive Directorships at Penna Consulting plc, Scott Bader Ltd, TBI Ltd and Fibreweb plc, as well as Albertis Motorways UK Ltd and Albertis Overseas (UK) Ltd. Richard is currently a Non-Executive Director of Curo Group (Albion) Ltd, a not-for-profit company involved in the provision of housing and community services. Richard chairs meetings of the Nomination Committee.
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About : Curo Group believes in creating consistent returns for its customers, investors and stakeholders.
Tahir Farooqui
Seed Investor & Non-Executive Director of Canopy
Tahir Farooqui is the Seed Investor and Non-Executive Director of Canopy.
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About Canopy, InsureStreet Ltd.: Canopy is a financial health startup helping Renters build credit, save money, improve rental affordability and achieve financial freedom.
AF_initDataCallback({key: \’ds:1\'” alt=”” class=”wp-image-14850″ width=”154″ height=”152″/>Carla Stent
Non Executive Director and Chair of Risk and Audit Committee of Tilney Smith & Williamson
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About Octopus Property, Tilney Smith & Williamson: Tilney Smith & Williamson is a financial planning and investment firm.
Howard Sherman
Executive Director of MSCI
Howard Sherman is the Executive Director at MSCI.
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About MSCI: MSCI is a provider of investment decision support tools to investment institutions worldwide.
Juan Luis Bellon
Non Executive Director of ETFmatic
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About : ETFmatic powers digital wealth management services and works with exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Rob Ferguson
Executive Director of CoInvestor
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About CoInvestor: Alternative asset investment platform connecting advisers and investors with premium tax-efficient, capital growth and yield investments
Mark Crocker
Executive Director of Madiston
Mark is an experienced General Manager in the software industry with a proven track record in opening offices, expanding internationally, turning around underperforming business units, raising investment capital, leading businesses through significant revenue growth/profitability, mergers/acquisitions and shareholder exits.
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About Madiston: Madiston offers a commercially available peer to peer/online lending software platform.
Richard Callard
Executive Director of UK Government Investments
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About BIS, UK Government Investments: UK Government Investments offers corporate governance, financial interventions, consulting, acquirement, and management of corporate assets.
Manfredi Mattei
Executive Director of Partecipazione.AM
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About Partecipazione.AM: Partecipazione.AM provides consultation services on financial and investment management.
Martin Kaye
Non-Executive Director of Pacific Premier Trust
Martin Kaye joined Norden Farm Centre for the Arts as Chairman in 2015.Martin was previously Head of Risk Management, and a Client Relationship Lead Partner, at BDO LLP, one of the world’s largest accountancy networks. Martin was with BDO LLP for 19 years, during which time he ran two major business units, chaired the firm’s pension scheme trustees and served on the firm’s Partnership Council, Audit Committee, and Management Executive. As well as acting as a Trustee for the Cherie Blair Foundation, Martin is a non-executive director of a Pension Trust Company.
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About Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Pacific Premier Trust, Ross Trustees Services: Pacific Premier Trust is an alternative asset custodian, with decades of expertise in holding private equity, real estate, and notes.
Sam Blackie
Non Executive Director, Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee Chair of British Friendly
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About British Friendly: British Friendly helps to seek as many individuals as possible with income protection insurance.
Christine Johnson
Non Executive Director of CCLA Investment Management
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About CCLA Investment Management: CCLA Investment Management is a charity fund solutions firm that offers financial services, investment and asset management.
Alastair Brown
Non Executive Director of Icon Solutions
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About Icon Solutions: An independent IT payment consultancy and specialist technology provider serving financial institutions across the globe.
Jonathan Graham
Architect, Global Risk Systems (Executive Director) of Mizuho International
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About Mizuho International: Mizuho International provides investment banking and securities markets services.
