Finova said recruitment at its Manchester hub was now 80% complete.
The firm has appointed Hemant Kumar as research and development director, who will head the development of its next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) engine that will shape Finova’s proposition over the next decade. He has more than 20 years of experience in leading technology modernisation across financial services, the public sector and healthcare. Kumar joins from Accenture and has experience scaling full-stack and data engineering teams.
Pete Craven has been hired as director of dev-ops, responsible for leading Finova’s engineering team, which will build the scalable cloud infrastructure that will underpin its platform. He has more than 13 years of experience driving large-scale cloud transformations and a track record of building engineering teams.
He has previously held senior roles across cloud strategy and delivery at technology consultancies and global firms, including Slaalum Build, Made Tech, Booking.com and IMB. Craven has also helped develop platforms for organisations including the NHS, Home Office, Sainsbury’s and Lloyds Bank.
Further, Finova has hired Kelly Wilson as director of technical delivery. She will lead the teams responsible for technical delivery across Finova’s engineering-supported product suite. She has experience across financial services, consulting and education, and was most recently leading Salesforce programmes at the London Stock Exchange Group.
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Before this, Wilson worked across both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force for nearly 15 years, working in IT and supporting global communications operations.
The three appointments will report to David Espley, chief technology officer.
Finova said the appointments also demonstrated its commitment to developing engineering talent in the UK, following its recent partnership with Makers Academy to bring eight early-career engineers into the business.
Gareth Richardson (pictured), CEO of Finova, said: “Hemant, Pete and Kelly are exactly the calibre of leaders we need to support the next phase of Finova’s growth, and they join a highly talented engineering and product workforce that is already delivering exceptional work for our customers across Manchester, London, Cheltenham and India. These appointments are about strengthening the depth of expertise and leadership across our wider teams as we continue to scale our AI and platform capabilities.
“When we opened our Manchester hub, we said that AI-driven growth would create jobs and investment in talent, and these appointments are a reflection of that commitment. With such a strong team across the business, we are well-positioned to continue building the next era of UK financial services technology.”
