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 Director operating in the Marketplace space. If you think a 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.
Angelie Panteli
CFO & Board Director of LendInvest
Angelie is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser and has extensive experience in roles across both large global listed businesses and more recently, fast growth technology businesses. Prior to joining LendInvest, Angelie was at Blippar, the world leading augmented reality technology company. Angelie heads up our finance team and is a member of LendInvest’s Board of Directors.
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About LendInvest: LendInvest is the leading marketplace platform for property finance.
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Justyn Trenner
Corporate Development Director of QA Media
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About QA Media: QA Media connects buyers and sellers in the marketplace for software quality assurance services.
Glen Walker
Co-Founder & Director of Trouva
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About Trouva: Trouva, the online destination for unique products from the best curators around the world
Lucy Ward
Creative Brand Director of Trouva
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About Trouva: Trouva, the online destination for unique products from the best curators around the world
Alex Buttle
Co-Founder, Marketing Director of Motorway
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About Motorway: Motorway is an online used-car marketplace for professional car dealers that sells their cars using their smartphones.
Guillermo Christen
Director Of Engineering of Monzo
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About Monzo: Monzo is a digital-only bank platform and marketplace that allows customers to access a range of products and services.
Chris Beckett
Associate Director of Data Science (Product and Marketing) of Monzo
Chris Beckett is the Associate Director of Data Science (Product and Marketing) at Monzo Bank.
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About Monzo: Monzo is a digital-only bank platform and marketplace that allows customers to access a range of products and services.
Alexandra Margolis
Co-Founder/Creative Director of Carwow
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About Carwow: Carwow is a company that helps efficiently connect car buyers to car dealers.
John Miele
Sales Director of Carwow
John’s has an MSc in Astrophysics, which proves handy on a daily basis. Besides managing all of our dealers, you’ll often find him down the pub (or on TV!) winning the pub quiz, collecting an obscene number of Pool trophies, or strumming his guitar for a captive audience. He and his wife have a new mini-Miele who keeps them up all hours of the night.
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About Carwow: Carwow is a company that helps efficiently connect car buyers to car dealers.
Charlie Vernon
Director of UK Partnerships of Let’s Do This
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About Let’s Do This: Let’s Do This is an online marketplace that features almost every endurance event on the planet.
Dom Goodrum
Director of Product of Let’s Do This
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About Let’s Do This: Let’s Do This is an online marketplace that features almost every endurance event on the planet.
Sam James
Managing Director of Hassle.com
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About Hassle.com: Hassle.com is an online marketplace that matches busy people with local, trusted cleaners.
Zoe Wong
Finance Director of Depop
Zoe is a finance and operations specialist within high-growth digital platforms. She is currently Director at Depop, an international ‘social shopping’ app that is hugely popular with Generation Z, with over 8 million users.
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About Depop: Depop provides a mobile application that allows users to buy, sell, discover, and explore various things.
Pierre Sapin
Managing Director of BORN
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About BORN: BORN is the world’s first private B2B platform that connects a global network of design-led lifestyle brands and retail buyers.
David Toplas
Founder and Director of Vesta Property
David has a long track record of innovation in investments which balance social and commercial returns. He has created, built and invested in businesses and run institutional funds as well as established a charity and social enterprise. David enjoys his work, cars and playing hockey.
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About Mill Group, Vesta Property: Vesta (www.vestaproperty.com) is a data-driven marketplace for buying and selling residential investment property.
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.
Andrius Skerla
Co-Founder & Technical Director of Splyt
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About Splyt: Splyt is a B2B mobility marketplace that connects institutional supply and demand for ground-based transport.
Paul Smith
New Business Director Partnerships of JustPremium
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About JustPremium: The World’s most innovative Rich Media Marketplace – We bring creativity to digital advertising
Matthew Linnecar
Director, Growth Capital of Snowball Effect
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About Blue Ventures, Edmund Hillary Fellowship(EHF), Snowball Effect: A curated marketplace that simplifies access to private equity investment opportunities
John Yeomans
Director of Wazoku
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About Beacon Capital, Sharedband Limited, Wazoku: An Enterprise Innovation Platform comprising: Idea Management, Open Innovation Marketplace, Innovation Consulting, Portfolio Management
Mary Schapiro
Nonexecutive Director of London Stock Exchange
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About London Stock Exchange: London Stock Exchange is an online marketplace that enables stock brokers and traders to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and other securities.
Mark Elwig
Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Staff Heroes
Proven Commercial leader with a track record of driving growth through technology sales with Enterprise customers across multiple sectors including Hospitality, Retail, Travel and Entertainment. Experienced go-to market strategist and sales leader. Deal brokering at a global level. International experience within EMEA and US. Focus, drive and great people skills having lead several sales, business development and client account teams for both Fortune 500 and start-up organisations. Experience in setting up and building out sales and marketing teams from scratch and most recently co-founding and running the commercial arm of an innovative staffing marketplace start-up, operating within the Hospitality sector in the UK. Specialties: Business development, Sales, business strategy, account management, client services, licensing, white label, B2B partnerships, European & Global sales, SaaS software sales, launching a start-up.
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About eBay Advertising, mydeco, Staff Heroes: Staff Heroes is an on demand & AI technology marketplace reinventing the world of work, connecting businesses and workers more efficiently.
Jason Anastasinis
Managing Director of TravelStaytion
Jason Anastasinis is a Managing Director at TravelStaytion.
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About TravelStaytion: TravelStaytion is an online holiday rental marketplace, enables its users to list their spare property or get accommodation at lower prices.
Chris Christo
Community Development Director of WeLivv
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About Spreddit, WeLivv: WeLivv is a home furnishings marketplace that will enable shopping through photos of people’s homes.
Béla Hanratty
Investment Director & Co-Founder of Align17
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About Align17: Align17 is a private marketplace connecting private wealth vetted institutional impact investment opportunities.
Tony Xu
Founder and Managing Director of Perfocal
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About Perfocal: Perfocal is the easiest way to hire an awesome photographer, on-demand.
Jay Gujral
Oil & Gas Director of Axora
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About Axora: B2B digital solutions marketplace and community for industrial innovators.
Nikolajs Smirnovs
Co-founder and Director of LandlordInvest
Nik holds a BSc. in Accounting and a MSc. from CASS business school. He is also a Chartered Management accountant (ACMA, CGMA) and holds an Investment Management Certificate (IMC). Nik has since graduation been employed as an in-house financial advisor at single family offices. He is currently the CFO of BILI Management, a Mayfair based single family office with substantial real estate investments.
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About LandlordInvest, NJF Capital: LandlordInvest is an online marketplace which matches professional landlords.
AF_initDataCallback({key: \’ds:1\'” alt=”” class=”wp-image-14850″ width=”154″ height=”152″/>James Miles
Managing Director & Co-Founder of Liv-ex
James Miles was born in Hong Kong and attended school and university in the UK. He started his career with Jardine Fleming Investment Management in Hong Kong in 1991, before becoming an equities analyst and strategist with Asia Equity (which later became Banque Paribas and then BNP Paribas). He moved to London in 1997 and left banking in March 2000 to set up Liv-ex.
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About Liv-ex: Liv-ex is the global marketplace for the wine trade, to whom we supply data, trading, technology and fulfilment services.
Anthony Maxwell
Director – Head of Exchange of Liv-ex
Anthony Maxwell was born in South Africa and brought up in France before moving to the UK aged 12. After leaving university, he worked for the Foreign Office in Geneva and the International Federation of Wines and Spirits in Paris. He then worked for John Armit Wines for eight years, running their trading department and private client sales department before joining Liv-ex in 2005.
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About Liv-ex: Liv-ex is the global marketplace for the wine trade, to whom we supply data, trading, technology and fulfilment services.
Simon Tutton
Founder & Director of TheFullWorks
Simon Tutton, founder of ecommerce platform Thefullworks.
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About TheFullWorks: Thefullworks is a subscription based end-to-end eCommerce services solution, providing webshops, storage, and distribution.
Yeon You
Creative Director of The Pommier
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About The Pommier: Not All Accessories Are Created Equal
Sally Hart
Creative Director & COO of Picfair
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About Picfair: Picfair is an open-to-all image licensing marketplace.
Dipak Mistry
Director of Partner Relations of DadShed
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About British Transport Police, DadShed: DadShed is enabling the data within buildings to be ‘easily’ accessible for marketplace opportunities.
Lisa Armstrong
Founder and Innovation Director of Ugogo
Lisa Armstrong is a passionate entrepreneur who believes that everyone, whether rich or poor, deserves access to the global online market. She is the founder and CEO of Ugogo, an award-winning ecommerce platform for people without bank accounts. Ugogo is expanding the traditional marketplace for entrepreneurial men and women in Africa who may be earning as little as $1USD per day. By enabling them to sell their wares online, the Ugogo platform will empower these artisans and micropreneurs to lift themselves out of poverty. In 2015 Ugogo was chosen from over 3,555 applicants to win the world renowned Publicis 90 award. Lisa has also received the WACL Future Leaders Award, an award given on behalf of the most influential women in advertising, marketing, commercial media and communications. Born in Zimbabwe, Lisa graduated with a BA in Business Law from London Metropolitan University and later received a scholarship for Executive Business School at the London School of Economics. Prior to setting up Ugogo, she ran a successful startup and has also spent four years working on high profile projects at SapientNitro, one of the world’s leading digital agencies. She has an avid interest in digital innovation and how we, as innovators, can improve people’s lives with the simple click of a mouse.
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About Ugogo: Marketplace for Artisans
Dave Pogson
Independent Business Consultant, Mentor and Non-Executive Director of Arlians
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About : Arlians is a Free B2B marketplace for small and medium businesses of any industries across the world. Find suppliers, customers and partners
Dave Pogson
Independent Business Consultant, Mentor and Non-Executive Director of Arlians
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About : Arlians is a Free B2B marketplace for small and medium businesses of any industries across the world. Find suppliers, customers and partners
Alex Dyer
Founder and Director of Tutor House
Alex is the founder and director of Tutor House and has a degree in Psychology. He has worked in the educational industry for 14 years; teaching Psychology for 8 years at a School in London and now running Tutor House, after setting it up in 2012. Alex still tutors every week, he writes for the Huffington Post and has appeared on the BBC and ITV to discuss educational topics. Alex is an educational consultant and UCAS expert, he’s worked with hundred of students over the years. He’s obsessed with squash, but is distinctly average.
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About Tutor House: High Growth B2C Marketplace for tutoring. Based in London, but operates thought he UK and abroad.
Nick King
Market Research and Insight Director of Autotrader.com
Nick is an expert in digital media & marketing, possessing skills, knowledge and experience to analyze & interpret trends in consumer adoption of technology and develop strategies for customer acquisition & retention through digital channels
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About Autotrader.com: AutoTrader is an online marketplace for buying and selling new, certified and used cars.
Simon Ryan
Director of Operations of ao.com
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About ao.com, Mobile Phones Direct: ao.com is an online marketplace that sells various consumer electronic products.
Simon Maisey
Managing Director, Global Head of Business Development of Tradeweb
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About Tradeweb: Tradeweb Markets is a global marketplace for electronic fixed income.
Ben Sturgeon
Director of Tradeweb
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About Tradeweb: Tradeweb Markets is a global marketplace for electronic fixed income.
Michael Cole
Managing Director of RightSite
Since founding RightSite in January of 2008, Michael has taken primary responsibility for making it the leading online property exchange in Asia, and an important platform for all members of the industrial property community. Before establishing RightSite, Michael played an integral role in launching major media projects in more than five different Asian markets since 1992. Michael also previously served as General Manager for Advertising Operations with Global Sources (GSOL) and assisted that firm in going public on the NASDAQ exchange in the year 2000. Originally from the United States, Michael holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St Olaf College, as well as a Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota. Besides achieving advanced level qualifications in Vietnamese language at the University of Hanoi in 1991, Michael also speaks French, Thai and Mandarin Chinese. You can follow Michael’s experiences in launching and managing RightSite through his blog at www.mingtiandi.com.
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About RightSite: Industrial Property Site for Asia
Pat Patel
Content Director of Money20/20
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About Money20/20: Money20/20 is a provider of a marketplace for ideas, connections, and deals in payments and financial services.
Pat Patel
Content Director of Money20/20
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About Money20/20: Money20/20 is a provider of a marketplace for ideas, connections, and deals in payments and financial services.
Matthew Funge
Managing Director & Founder of Your Stand Builder
Matthew is the Managing Director & Founder of event technology company Your Stand Builder, and currently lives in London. He is a graduate from the University of Manchester who already has valuable experience of living and working in both the USA and France, in addition to various parts of the UK, which has provided him with valuable international exposure already. He is responsible for building and launching the Your Stand Builder platform in March 2019, following more than 5 years’ in an exhibition project manager role preparing 25+ worldwide events annually for his previous employer – an experience which directly led to the YSB idea being born. Matthew is passionate about making a difference in the global events industry, and is committed to continually exploring technological innovation. He has taken YSB from concept all the way through to execution and plans to build upon this in the future through gradually developing the service further.
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About Your Stand Builder: SaaS, online marketplace, web platform
Sarah Brown
Marketing Director of Student Nannies Ltd
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About Student Nannies Ltd: Student Nannies connects local students and families to offer a smart solution to term-time and school holiday childcare.
James Pinniger
Business Development Director of Student Nannies Ltd
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About Student Nannies Ltd: Student Nannies connects local students and families to offer a smart solution to term-time and school holiday childcare.
Mike Johnson
Managing Director of Blank Lab
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About : Online Creative Platform and Marketplace
