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 United Kingdom based COO’ operating in the Information Services space. If you think a COO’ 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.
Gloria Baeuerlein
Chief Operating Officer of Back
Gloria primarily focuses on growth stage investments across all sectors in Europe and Australia. Prior to Index, Gloria worked at Technology Crossover Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based growth equity fund, evaluating investment opportunities in the DACH region and in software and fintech companies across Europe. Gloria started her career at Morgan Stanley where she advised technology and telco clients across Europe and the U.S. on financing rounds, IPOs and M&A transactions. Gloria graduated with a master’s degree in management from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
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About Back: Back Technologies is a software company that organizes and automates employee requests on one intuitive platform.
Philip Shaw
Chief Operating Officer of General Index
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About General Index: The new alternative to traditional Price Reporting Agencies. Founded in response to industry demand for more transparency within the market.
Ryan Morrison
COO of Trunarrative
Ryan is responsible for ensuring that the TruNarrative team delivers world-class customer service and making sure that direct sales and marketing effectively serve all their global markets. Since finishing University nearly 20 years ago, Ryan has immersed himself in the world of data and tech, most recently leading the global growth for a major Identity and Fraud business.
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About Trunarrative: Trunarrative is a risk and financial crime management platform that offers fraud prevention, identity, and compliance solutions.
Steve Jeans
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Desana
Steve Jeans is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Desana.
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About Desana: Hybrid / future of work: B2B SAAS/Marketplace solution for managing hybrid workplace models, globally.
Keith Reed
COO of DevicePilot
COO at DevicePilot.
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About DevicePilot: DevicePilot provides Service Monitoring for connected devices
Guy Dunn
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ISI Emerging Markets Group
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About EMIS, ISI Emerging Markets Group: ISI Emerging Markets Group is a provider of macroeconomic, business, and industry intelligence on global emerging markets.
Chris Taylor
Chief Operating Officer of Telegraph Media Group
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About Telegraph Media Group: Telegraph Media Group is a multi-media news publisher behind The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph newspapers.
Stefan Catoiu
Co-Founder & COO of Vita Mojo
Stefan Catoiu is the Co-Founder and COO of Vita Mojo.
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About Vita Mojo: Vita Mojo’s menu allows anyone to eat for anyones’ individualized needs.
Amit Pau
COO of Accloud
Amit Pau is a venture partner with over 25-years’ experience leading and scaling SaaS and telecoms businesses across multiple jurisdictions. He has led numerous companies to IPO or strategic exit as well as having built multi-billion dollar business units for global leaders including Vodafone and AT&T. He currently sits on the Board and serves as COO of Accloud, a technology platform which is empowering SMEs in high-growth markets with mobile first business management tools. The company’s aim is to build a platform for economic growth and financial inclusion, enabling SMEs to enter the formal economy, creating jobs, driving social well-being and promoting global prosperity. He has extensive Board level experience having served as a Board member for multiple publicly listed companies, including on the Nasdaq and FTSE Main Market, across numerous geographies, including India, Israel, Spain and The Netherlands.
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About Accloud, Entrepreneur Country: Accloud empowers SMEs in high growth markets with innovative cloud-based business management tools specially designed to meet their needs.
Chris Hornung
Chief Operating Officer of TotalMobile
Chris Hornung is a Chief Operating Officer at TotalMobile. He was responsible for Achilles’ operating strategy and performance. Since being appointed in 2010, he has established a network of operational hubs in Asia, Eastern Europe, America, India, and South America. Additionally, he has developed standard processes across these locations allowing Achilles to offer a unified service to suppliers and buyers globally. He has 12 years’ experience of working at a senior level to improve business processes and performance within the global telecommunications industry. After 8 years in the British Armed Forces, he joined the mobile operator Orange in 1999 completing a number of roles before being appointed as the Director of Strategy Implementation. He joined Cable and Wireless in 2006, becoming the Director of Customer Service Transformation in 2007 before taking up the role of Director of Operational Performance in 2009. Chris is married with two children and has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biology and Biological Sciences from The University of Birmingham.
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About TotalMobile: TotalMobile is an enterprise mobile application platform designed to provide complete mobile working solutions.
Kevin Galliers
COO of AlphaDesk
Kevin has over 30 years in finance and financial technology, holding a variety of leadership positions within the vendor community, including SunGard/FIS, ACT/Misys, Iris Financial Engineering and Infinity Financial Technology. He also has an extensive background in database management and systems analysis and design, working for Standard Chartered Bank in London and Asia.
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About AlphaDesk: AlphaDesk provides real-time order, portfolio, and operations management tools to fund managers.
Kean Williams
Chief Operating Officer of Dion Global Solutions
Kean is the Chief Operating Officer at Dion Global Solutions and is responsible for all day to day operations within the business including Product Strategy, Product Development, Support, Project Delivery and Technology spearheading our Solution Strategy to create a truly global solution suite for financial institutions. Kean is based in the United Kingdom and has over 30 years of experience in Financial services, which includes 18 years in Dion and their acquired businesses. Kean brings a wealth of relevant domain experience to the role and has already overseen the significant growth in both the Wealth and Post Trade businesses in Dion. He has rich experience in strategic planning and implementation of key processes, systems and delivery excellence across the company , guiding and directing an enterprise through substantial change management utilizing strong and effective leadership. Kean has driven a number of products and operational initiatives within Dion and has good relationships across the client base. Prior to joining Dion, Kean worked at the London Stock Exchange for nearly 10 years being part of their renowned Graduate Placement scheme and went on to run the all participant rollout of the then ground breaking T+10 and T+5 settlement changes in the early 1990s before helping with the transition to CREST in 1996.
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About Dion Global Solutions: Dion Global Solutions is a technology solution provider company.
Kean Williams
Chief Operating Officer of Dion Global Solutions
Kean is the Chief Operating Officer at Dion Global Solutions and is responsible for all day to day operations within the business including Product Strategy, Product Development, Support, Project Delivery and Technology spearheading our Solution Strategy to create a truly global solution suite for financial institutions. Kean is based in the United Kingdom and has over 30 years of experience in Financial services, which includes 18 years in Dion and their acquired businesses. Kean brings a wealth of relevant domain experience to the role and has already overseen the significant growth in both the Wealth and Post Trade businesses in Dion. He has rich experience in strategic planning and implementation of key processes, systems and delivery excellence across the company , guiding and directing an enterprise through substantial change management utilizing strong and effective leadership. Kean has driven a number of products and operational initiatives within Dion and has good relationships across the client base. Prior to joining Dion, Kean worked at the London Stock Exchange for nearly 10 years being part of their renowned Graduate Placement scheme and went on to run the all participant rollout of the then ground breaking T+10 and T+5 settlement changes in the early 1990s before helping with the transition to CREST in 1996.
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About Dion Global Solutions: Dion Global Solutions is a technology solution provider company.
Sacha Carton
Co-Founder & COO of Airfinity
Sacha is co-founder & COO at Airfinity – a science information and analytics company. He is a data, tech and media entrepreneur who previously co-founded ad pepper media (FRA: APM), Adbrain (sold to NSDQ: TTD), Scala Ventures and advisory firm Ogmenta and has been an investor, advisor and director in multiple media, data, adtech, PE and M&A companies in Europe and the US.
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About Airfinity, Scala Ventures: Airfinity is a science information and analytics company
Phil Hunter
COO of Nimbla
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About Nimbla, Synaptiv: Nimbla is dedicated to providing small and medium-sized UK businesses with dynamic invoice insurance.
Andy Byrne
COO and General Counsel of H4
Andy Byrne is the COO and General Counsel at H4.
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About H4: H4 is a digital platform transforming the documentation that underpins global financial markets and legal contracts.
Rob Evans
COO of Logicalis
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About Logicalis: Logicalis is a platform that provides IT solutions and managed services.
Francesca Hodgson
Co-founder and COO of GoodBox
Francesca Hodgson is a Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at GoodBox.
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About GoodBox: GoodBox is a fundraising-focused hardware and software tech start-up, primarily serving charities and the non-profit sectors.
Simon Wheeldon
Co-Founder and COO of CloudApps
Simon is a co-founder of CloudApps and is responsible for Professional Services Delivery and Corporate Strategy. Prior to founding CloudApps, Simon spent 4 years at Salesforce.com leading the adoption of the pioneering Force.com platform across EMEA. Under Simon’s guidance the Force.com platform in Europe grew to be a multi-million dollar business. With over 20 years experience in the software industry, Simon was responsible for the widespread sales and adoption of the Force.com platform; helping numerous Salesforce.com’s customers to build and sell their very own Software-as-a-Service applications. Prior to joining Salesforce.com Simon was responsible for the financial services business at Siebel Systems in the UK. Previously, he has held senior positions at Business Objects and Accenture. Simon has a BSc in Computer Science from Bristol University. He is married with two children and lives in Oxfordshire, UK.
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About CloudApps: CloudApps increases sales performance by motivating more of your high-value, winning sales behaviours
Jason Muller
Co-founder and COO of Pivigo
Jason has an extensive and successful background in UK business having co-founded a group of healthcare recruitment firms in 2006, grown it to 30+staff and over £28m turnover in four years, studied an MBA at Cranfield University in 2011/12 and co-founded Pivigo in 2013.
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About Pivigo: Data is and will continue to change our lives. It is generated by us, for us and around us.
Roxanna Zea
Chief Operating Officer of Origami
Roxanna brings more than 20 years of experience in business operations, partnerships, strategic planning and scaling businesses. She has worked across the Technology and Telecoms industries, both within global corporations and heading up fast-growing new business. Roxanna has held various senior leadership roles at Google, and more recently has held executive roles at Tele2 Group and two-sided marketplace technology company, Rentify. She has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from London Business School, is a Chartered Accountant, and is currently studying for a Masters in Executive Coaching at Ashridge.
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About Origami: Intelligent trading and automation software for short term power trading. SaaS.
Obi Ejimofo
COO & Operations Director of Asoko Insight
Obi is an experienced technologist and entrepreneur now focused on implementing new business models in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is the former managing director of Lamudi Nigeria and previously a senior manager at Thomson Reuters and Philips Electronics, designing and delivering global enterprise programmes. London Business School (MBA); University of Nigeria (BEngr)
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About Asoko Insight: Africa’s leading corporate information platform, providing market mapping solutions to investment firms, banks, corporates and governments.
Jeremy Lock
COO of Vestemi
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About Vestemi: Vestemi is a new technology product company with a social purpose.
Tim Longton
Co-Founder,Chief Operating Officer now shareholder of Adventoris
Tim is a Chartered IT Practitioner with over 25 years of commercial and technical experience in Teleco, ISP, Technology, FMCG, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Service Industries. With various senior and board appointments including OnCue Telecommunications Ltd and Business Serve Plc. Tim is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the BCS.
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About Adventoris: Adventoris specializes in the development of ground-breaking mobile business software.
Jake Li
Co-Founder, COO & Data Scientist of Kuan Intelligence
Jake Li, PhD is Co-Founder, COO & Data Scientist at Kuan Intelligence.
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About Kuan Intelligence: Kuan Intelligence is a cross-border payment platform for E-Commerce backed by Blockchain Technology.
Adam Leese
COO of Love.io
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About iPegs, Love.io: Love.io is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that monetizes social interactions on social media, eCommerce, and gaming.
James Lewis
COO of DigitalBridge
James Lewis is the COO at DigitalBridge.
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About DigitalBridge: DigitalBridge is a Guided Design platform that enables retailers to help their customers design and buy their dream bathroom or kitchen.
Andrew Blogg
Founder and COO of Dronecloud
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About Dronecloud: Dronecloud is a platform created to manage a complex drone operation with ease from start to finish.
Stephen Boyes
Founder and COO of Kurve Kiosks
As a devout technical engineer within IT businesses, I was thrown into the hospitality IT sector in 2000 when I acquired what later become known as, “EPoS Group”, growing it to become a thriving and well-known national player delivering solutions to household names including Chester Zoo, Parkdean Resorts, and Crussh. Following my successful sale and exit of EPoS Group (now re-branded Cunnighams Epos Group) in 2015, I’m now back in the hot seat as COO for Kurve, our vibrant self-serve and kiosk software solutions business which is shaping the UK’s adoption of self-serve across kiosk, online and mobile in the restaurant and hospitality sector.
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About Kurve Kiosks: Bringing the best-in-class self-serve solutions for quick service restaurants & the hospitality sector.
Taryl Law
Co Founder and COO of How Do I?
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About How Do I?: How Do I? teaches life and vocational skills through step-by-step videos linked to the learning environment using NFC technology.
