Member Article

Innovative Knowledge Marketplace, Knoma, appoints Julian Cork as Non-Executive Director

Innovative ‘Knowledge Marketplace’, Knoma, has welcomed Julian Cork, a proven business leader within the finance sector, as Non-Executive Director of its Board.

Currently COO of Landbay Partners, a prime Buy-To-Let (BTL) marketplace mortgage lender which has completed over £1B worth of mortgages to date, Julian boasts over 25 years’ experience in working in senior leadership roles within financial services, including managing director level roles at JPMorgan and Macquarie Group.

In being appointed as NED of Knoma, Julian will now play a vital role in helping the FinTech firm to set its strategic aims whilst providing entrepreneurial leadership of the Company within a framework of prudent and effective controls, enabling risk to be assessed and managed during its next stage of exciting growth.

Described as the ‘ethical Klarna’ for education, Knoma helps people find and finance the courses they need to get ahead in their careers, or to kickstart brand new ones.

Focused on encouraging lifelong learning, the fast-growth start-up provides an ethical finance solution that enables learners to spread course fees over a 12-month period with zero added costs or interest – making professional development both accessible and affordable.

Julian’s appointment to the Board comes just weeks after Knoma announced an additional USD $4 million in equity investment to advance its use of data and technology and help drive international growth, including expansion into Australia.

Brett Shanley, CEO of Knoma, confirmed: “I founded Knoma in 2020 with a clear vision to transform lives through the power of accessible and affordable education. I truly believe that in connecting people, tech and data, we can disrupt norms and make the world fairer by removing some of the barriers that prevent people from learning the skills they need to get and stay head in our ever-changing world.

To continue to grow, advance and develop the Knoma platform and our overarching vision, I need the support of brilliant people with proven experience in the finance, fintech and start-ups space. I am, therefore, delighted to welcome Julian to our Board and am incredibly excited about the value I know he can and will bring in the coming months.“

Julian Cork, newly appointed NED of Knoma, added: “Brett and the team have built a great business that successfully democratises access to lifelong learning.

I now look forward to working with Knoma to continue to build on its position as the UK’s fastest growing education finance provider platform, while driving international expansion and the continued development of its advanced end to end solution“

Headquartered in London, Knoma employs a growing team of 15 people, united in its mission to enable access to lifelong education, while reducing the skills gap.

To date the business has raised a total of USD $33 million in funding.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Stone .