This week's London appointments

Laela Pakpour Tabrizi, MotorK

Italian automotive distribution firm MotorK has appointed Laela Pakpour Tabrizi as its new group chief financial officer.

Working from MotorK’s London HQ, Laela will play a key role in defining and executing the company’s global strategy.

She has a BSc in International Relations and a Master’s in Finance & Strategy, along with experience in investment banking across Europe and the US as vice president of structured finance at French banking group BNP Paribas.

More recently, she was CFO at global business aviation company VistaJet.

Marco Marlia, MotorK’s CEO and co-founder, said: “We are sure that Laela will bolster MotorK’s growth trajectory thanks to her experience in a company like VistaJet, one of the few ‘unicorns’ born in Europe.

“We are extremely proud of the positive impact and digital thought leadership that MotorK has already been able to achieve in the industry.”

He added: “Our goal is that with such experienced and talented people like Laela in the team, we will keep on changing automotive distribution for the better.”

Stuart Savidge, Ben McComb and Warwick Hunter, Henley

Henley, the private equity real estate investor, has bolstered its senior management with a raft of appointments.

Stuart Savidge, currently group CFO, is moving into the new position of managing director for Henley Funds Management.

Replacing him is Ben McComb (pictured left), who will take on group-wide CFO responsibilities at Henley. He will join the company next month from private equity house Novalpina Capital.

Elsewhere, Warwick Hunter (right) will assume the role of managing director for development and asset management. Warwick was previously development director at property company Qatari Diar.

Ian Rickwood, CEO of Henley Investments, said of the appointments: “Stuart will do a great job building this business.

“We are delighted to be able to replace Stuart with such a high calibre person as Ben who has an impressive track record and valuable insight to oversee our growing and diversified activity.”

He added: “Warwick is another major upgrade in our team as the size, scale and geography of our projects expands so we need the top talent in the industry to be directing our efforts”

Paul Hinds and Andy Perkins, Frazer John

Recruitment firm Frazer John (FJR) has welcomed two new partners.

Paul Hinds (pictured) joined the company as finance partner at the recently launched London office, while Andy Perkins joined FJR as finance partner at its Manchester HQ.

Paul’s experience in recruiting accounting and finance professionals includes almost 10 years helping to grow and run a medium-sized recruitment business in the capital.

Andy, meanwhile, has 15 years’ experience across several recruitment agencies.

FJR founder John Dyson said: “Welcoming two senior employees of this calibre is a strong decision for Frazer John. Whenever new people join our adventure, we hope they will bring the same enthusiasm that I held on day one.

“Both Andy and Paul have shown real commitment to our company values and I’m very excited to see the impact they each have within their respective roles.”

Managing partner Neil Owen commented: “I have known Paul for many years and have always been keen to work with him again;t the timing and proposition has never been quite right until now.

“His knowledge of the London market, hands on skills within Interim recruitment and network of recruiters make him the ideal person to start and lead our Interim Finance practice.”

He added: “He joins a carefully picked team in London and we are all really excited about the adventure we are on.”

Stephen Segel, Rota

Staffing app Rota has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Stephen Segel has previously led a number of fast-growth businesses from growth through to exit, including materials handling equipment firm Blue Group and recruiter Aston Carter.

He said: “I am proud to be joining Rota and look forward to the exciting challenges ahead as we work to expand our services further and continue on the great success Rota has already achieved in such a short space of time.

“In just under three years, the app has revolutionised the way the hospitality industry is staffed, taking away the frustration of relying on costly agencies and has already helped almost 700 venues find high quality service bar staff to waiters, baristas and chefs.”

Stephen added: “We have lots of great plans to continue Rota’s success story and I can’t wait to help lead the team to bringing these ideas to fruition.”

Co-founder Tom Williams commented: “I am very excited to welcome Steve to Rota to lead the next phase. Steve brings a wealth of experience in scaling fast growth businesses and creating a culture of success for our staff, members and partners alike.”

Andrew Roughan, Here East

Tech campus Here East has appointed a new managing director for its Plexal flexible workspace and innovation consultancy centre.

Andrew Roughan, formerly COO at Here East, will oversee the London Office for Rapid Cyber Security Advancement (LORCA) within Plexal,

Prior to joining Here East, Andrew was commercial director for data centre business Infinity SDC and general manager for telecoms giant Cable & Wireless.

He said: “Plexal has become one of the most important innovation centres in London, supporting a diverse range of large, small and startup companies across a number of high potential sectors and technology products.

“I look forward to working with our members, and the wider Here East campus, in collaborating to cause progress on an international scale.”

Here East chief exec Gavin Poole commented: “We are delighted to announce Andrew Roughan as the Managing Director of Plexal.

“Having worked alongside Andrew to create Here East, I know he has the passion and expertise required to cultivate the growth of Plexal’s community and partnerships across the campus in a way that contributes to the wider campus, the UK economy and the local region.”

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