Industry moves round up: Recent appointments at Grant Thornton, TotallyMoney and more

Kevin Coates, Grant Thornton

Kevin Coates has joined Grant Thornton as partner and head of London restructuring. He will continue to evolve its restructuring team’s position as advisors to UK mid-market companies, global multinationals, bank lenders and special situation and debt funds.

Coates has over 25 years’ experience as a financial advisor and insolvency practitioner, with insolvency credentials including Thomas Cook, Clinton Cards and Habitat UK.

His international restructuring experience includes for ED&F Man and Stemcor. 

He said: “It’s great to be part of one of the UK’s largest multi-service advisory firms, to support and guide clients through complex challenges across both the UK and international markets.”  

Shaun O’Callaghan, head of restructuring and debt advisory at Grant Thornton UK, said: “Leading our London restructuring team, Kevin will operate on a national and international level, leveraging our networking of over 1,000 insolvency and restructuring professionals across the world”.

Henry Pearce, Totally Money

TotallyMoney has appointed Henry Pearce as its head of data. He will play a central role in the development and delivery of upcoming features to help users improve credit eligibility, including giving customers deeper insights into spending and borrowing patterns.

Pearce, whose previous role was head of data at Tandem Bank, said: “It’s a privilege to be joining a team with so much drive and determination to bring fintech to everyone”.

Alistair Douglas, chief executive officer of TotallyMoney, said: “Data is fundamental to creating a fairer credit system that supports financial growth, not inhibits it. Henry’s passion and expertise is a perfect fit for us”.

Jason Incles, Arum and Just

Arum and Just has appointed Jason Incles as its board’s new chair. Incles succeeded Jamie Waller, who retired after serving as chair for the previous four years.

Incles, who was at TDX Group from 2006 to 2016, said: “I feel very excited to be taking on this role at such a pivotal time for our profession — the needs of our public and private sector clients in the credit and debt industries are changing rapidly against a backdrop of heightened economic pressures and consumer treatment expectations.”

Arum Group chief executive Andrew Pritchard commented: “Jason’s long history of leadership, coupled with his industry-specific experience makes him an ideal person for this role”.

Outgoing chair Waller said: “Jason has been working with me and the executive team for the past year […]. He is an excellent choice for my replacement, and I will be giving him my full support”.

Jaco Snyman, Sigma Connected

Sigma Connected has recruited Jaco Snyman as managing director for its new credit services business. Snyman will spearhead the company’s new Birmingham-headquartered debt collection agency, McLaren Credit Services.

Snyman joined Sigma Connected as director of financial services in 2021. He has almost 30 years’ experience in the industry, and has held leadership roles in the financial and consumer finance sectors – including PwC and BNP Paribas.

He said: “Being part of Sigma Connected also allows us to offer a blend of UK-based and off-shore services for our clients – making good use of our network in South Africa where we have a long-standing record of offering a trusted collections service for UK clients”.

Gary Gilburd, chief executive officer of Sigma Connected Group added: “Jaco knows the market inside out and is already making a considerable impact as we create a formidable debt collection business”.