Industry moves round up: Recent appointments at Virgin Money and more

Syreeta Brown, Virgin Money

Virgin Money has appointed Syreeta Brown as group chief people and communications officer. Syreeta joins Virgin Money from Citigroup, where she spent 11 years in a number of HR roles, the most recent of which was managing director, head of HR for global functions, operations and technology, and led the HR strategy for 20,000 employees across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Syreeta holds an executive masters in HR leadership and completed the HR executive programme at University of Michigan. She was also the recipient of the “Leader in Financial Services” award at the 2018 Black British Business Awards.

David Duffy, Virgin Money chief executive, said: “Syreeta’s experience, particularly in cultural transformation and on the digital agenda, will bring huge benefits as we enter our new phase of digital growth”

Samuel Evans, Court Enforcement Services

Court Enforcement Services have appointed Samuel Evans as business development manager reporting to the director of business development, Michael Whitaker.

Sam studied at Bangor University and commenced his career with an established high court enforcement business where he has spent the last ten years working, including several years in business development.

Sam has a proven track record in growing business in the sector and managing long-standing client relationships. Sam has also attained several qualifications and certifications in taking control of goods, which means he is well qualified to provide technical advice and support in relation to the whole process.

Michael Whitaker said: “As Sam has worked for another high court enforcement business in a similar role for nearly a decade, his insights and experience will be invaluable in assisting our ambitious plans for growth.”

Rebecca McNeil, Finance & Leasing Association (FLA)

FLA has announced the appointment of Rebecca McNeil as the new chair of the association. She succeeds Richard Jones, who has held this post since 2017.

Rebecca is currently chief executive officer at Close Brothers retail and was previously chief executive officer at Close Brothers motor finance. Her industry experience includes senior roles in Barclays as managing director of the asset finance division, chief operating officer for Barclays business and MD of product for all business and corporate lending.

Richard Jones, chair of the FLA, said: “I’m delighted to be handing over the reins to Rebecca, her knowledge of FLA markets and her insights on the challenges facing lenders position Rebecca well. I wish Rebecca every success in helping the FLA steer through its next chapter, including the challenges and opportunities of net zero.”

Ben Allkins, Just Mortgages

Brokerage firm Just Mortgages has appointed Ben Allkins as the new head of mortgages and protection for its self-employed division. The newly created role will involve managing the strategic direction of the self-employed division.

With over two decades of experience in the mortgage market, Allkins has been working as part of the Just Mortgages’ team for the past five years, initially as an area director, then a regional director.

In the next year alone, Just Mortgages is investing over £1m into upgrading the support and systems that the self-employed team uses. Allkins role will be to oversee this investment to ensure it delivers the maximum positive impact for brokers.

Rachel Taylor, DF Capital

The specialist commercial lending and personal savings bank, DF Capital, announced that it has hired Rachel Taylor as head of change and continuous improvement. Rachel is responsible for leading the continued development and delivery of business innovations across the bank, as well as monitoring and improving organisational processes and optimising customer satisfaction.

Rachel joins from Aldermore where she was a business manager, advising and supporting the senior management team. She also worked in similar roles for Swinton Group, Co-op Insurance, Barclays, Homeserve and Britannia Building Society.

Carl D’Ammassa, DF Capital’s chief executive officer commented: “We’ve been looking for an effective and experienced leader to cultivate and maintain a proactive, strategic approach to change management and continuous improvement across the business. Rachel fits that bill perfectly.”

Simon Brown and Carrie Stephenson, Auxillias

Auxillias has appointed Simon Brown as director of compliance and training and Carrie Stephenson as director of legal and governance.

Simon will shortly be launching Auxillias’ compliance offering to work alongside its legal team by supporting the ongoing demand for compliance in the consumer credit and asset/motor finance sector.

He has worked in a head of compliance capacity at a number of companies including Non Standard Finance, Oakbrook Finance and Volkswagen Financial Services.

Carrie will be leading Auxillias’ commercial and governance functions. As a corporate and commercial law specialist, she will also support clients on the key legal areas they navigate on a daily basis. She joins Auxillias from Mitsubishi Motors UK, where she most recently held the role of general counsel and company secretary.

Jo Davis, chief executive officer, Auxillias said: “Following a successful first 18 months, we are gearing up for the next stage of our journey. With Carrie and Simon joining us, we will be able to provide an even broader, more in-depth offering to our clients.”