This week's London appointments

Mufti Monim, Deko

Retail finance tech company Deko has appointed a new CTO.

Mufti Monim joined the firm from Lebara Money, where he was head of technology. The role saw him set up an international money transfer platform in the UK that achieved £100m worth of transfers within its first 12 months.

At Deko, he will work alongside CEO Peter Mansfield, CFO Richard Harrison and sales director Kaye Rickards to help steer the company towards further growth.

Mufti said: “Deko’s position in the market means it has the agility to adapt its product according to – and ahead of – industry advances, while having the scale to see these developments through quickly, which is the ideal scenario for me.

“In my previous role at Lebara Money, I was able to build up a successful product, platform and team from scratch, and I look forward to applying the skills gained there to the retail finance space and ensuring Deko remains at the cutting edge of technology.”

Deko CEO Peter Mansfield commented: “Mufti is joining at a really exciting time for the business as we enter new markets and take the technology into previously unexplored territory.

“Mufti has proven himself as an accomplished and forward-thinking technologist and, along with his strong experience of working in FCA-regulated environments, I’m confident that he can propel our technological offering even further. Such investment in maximising the value for our merchants, lenders and end customers will ensure we retain our position as the best retail finance provider on the market.”

Claire Capaccioli, British International Freight Association

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has added to its training team with the appointment of Claire Capaccioli in the role of trainer – freight and customs procedures.

Claire, a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, has worked in the industry for 27 years. She started her career in 1991 at Kintetsu World Express and went on to work at Yusen Logistics for 20 years.

Training development manager Carl Hobbis said: “I’m delighted to welcome Claire to our team.

“She will deliver all aspects of our freight and customs training and her extensive industry knowledge will add nicely to the team.”

He continued: “With virtually all apprentice training providers committing to put learners through a BIFA introductory course and our five-day Customs BTEC, it is paramount that we have the recourse and experience.”

BIFA director general Robert Keen commented: “Having known Claire for some years through her involvement with BIFA in our Manchester Regional meetings and her assistance with previous BIFA training material developments, I have been looking forward to her joining the team.”

Martin Gammon, SafeGroup

Specialist reactive soft services provider SafeGroup has appointed Martin Gammon as non-executive chairman.

Martin (pictured right) is the former CEO of facilities management business OCS Group. His new role will see him providing strategic business guidance for SafeGroup as it grows its portfolio of services.

The company’s offering includes cleaning, emergency waste removal, pest proofing and control, and legionella prevention.

Managing director Steve Broughton (left) said Martin’s experience and insights will be “invaluable” for SafeGroup.

He commented: “Martin has built his own businesses and he has run one of the largest facilities management companies in the UK. His expertise, both entrepreneurial and corporate, is a perfect fit for us.

“We want to waste no time in growing SafeGroup, so we can deliver our unique mix of services to more of the biggest and best businesses in the UK. Martin is already playing a key role in helping us realise that ambition.”

Martin said: “Providing a truly agile and responsive reactive FM service is very hard to do, but SafeGroup, through its four divisions, is achieving just that.

“Its services are entrepreneurial and driven by a strong can-do ethos which allows them to deliver what other can’t.”

Ian McCaig and Mark Brooker, Seedrs

Private equity investment platform Seedrs has appointed Ian McCaig and Mark Brooker as non-executive directors.

Ian is the former CEO of independent energy provider First Utility and before that, online travel firm lastminute.com.

Mark Brooker worked for 17 years in investment banking at US firms Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. After that he joined Betfair and went on to become COO, later moving to Trainline in the role of COO.

Jeff Lynn, executive chairman and co-founder of Seedrs, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ian and Mark to Seedrs.

“They bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge around growing fast-moving technology businesses in the European market and beyond.”

He added: “They both have a proven track record as trusted leaders, and their experience at some of Europe’s digital giants will be invaluable to us as we continue to scale.”

Josh Evans, VTS

Leasing and asset management platform VTS has welcomed a new chief revenue officer to its leadership team.

Josh Evans has almost 20 years’ experience in sales and leadership roles.

Prior to his appointment, he was SVP of sales and business development at cloud-based sales acceleration platform Velocify.

Nick Romito, VTS’ co-founder and CEO, said: “Josh is a seasoned SaaS sales leader with a proven track record for growing revenue as well as building and coaching world-class teams.

“We had a number of qualified candidates and Josh stood out to all of us. He’s the ideal person to help lead VTS through the next stage of growth.”

Josh commented: “I’m thrilled to be joining VTS at such a pivotal moment of growth for the company.

“The company is in the rare position of possessing amazingly talented people, market-leading products, and the support of a passionate, fast-growing customer base.”

He continued: “With nine out of the top 10 global investment managers already using VTS, the company is the clear market leader and has a massive opportunity for further growth.

“From the outset, I was attracted to the company’s strong vision and clearly chartered course for the future to capitalise on this opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to hit the ground running.”

VTS co-founder Ryan Masiello, the firm’s former CRO, is now chief strategy officer.

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