People: Ripe Thinking; Total Processing; Slater Heelis; CBRE; Leo Group; Griffiths and Armour
Manchester insurtech, Ripe Thinking, has appointed Rob Styring as chief financial officer, and Simon Trott as chief operating officer.
Both bring enviable track records of success in the insurance sector.
Styring joins from Kingsbridge Group, where he was CFO, having formerly been a finance director in PIB Group, Thistle Insurance and Towergate. Trott was COO of legal specialists NAHL Group plc and previously held senior roles at RKH Group and Towergate.
The two are no strangers, having worked together leading Towergate Direct, the specialist retail division. With Trott as CEO and Styring as finance director, Towergate Direct grew to more than 500,000 customers and achieved in excess of £250m gross written premium.
The appointments come as Ripe sees policyholder numbers exceed 300,000, reinforcing the company’s position as one of the UK’s largest insurtech companies providing easy-to-access, reliable cover to leisure, lifestyle and SME customers. This milestone marks a 50% increase in customers in less than three years, reflecting the ability of Ripe to offer products and services to power the growth.
Paul Williams, CEO of Ripe Thinking, said: “Rob and Simon join as we start our next important expansion phase of markets, products and superior delivery to our customers. Their expertise will help drive our continued success and the growth we know is possible. The whole Ripe team is excited to be working with them.”
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Total Processing, the Manchester-based payments processing fintech, has made three senior hires to its teams in the UK and MENA region, recruiting a new chief commercial officer, head of product and MENA head of sales.
The new hires are in line with the fintech’s rapid and accelerating growth, which was recognised in the Sunday Times 100 List of the UK’s fastest-growing companies.
Simon King joined TP in September 2022 as chief commercial officer to optimise and diversify the company’s go-to-market strategy, including partnerships, direct sales and commercial customer success across the UK and Europe. He brings with him a wealth of experience within seed, series-A and series-B-funded technology businesses, selling enterprise-level SaaS platforms and financial services. Prior to TP, Simon was the chief revenue officer at Yordex, a pre-series-A spend management business, accountable for a 4x increase in revenue.
King is joined by Aden Davies, who has been appointed head of product. Davies has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, having led multi-national technical products for the likes of HSBC. At Total Processing, he will oversee product management and interface design for the firm’s suite of bespoke and innovative platforms, such as Total Control.
Simon King
In the MENA region, William Joyce has been appointed as UAE head of sales. Joyce brings more than nine years of fintech experience, six of which have been in the Middle East. His strong skillset and network will be valuable as Total Processing continues its momentum in the region, increasing its headcount to 17 and winning more than 80 local clients since opening its Dubai office in early 2021.
Aden Davies said: “Supported by my experience in the field, I am eager for a new challenge at Total Processing. It stood out to me as a real innovator, and I was compelled by its customer-focused approach to its services. I’m excited to delve into the specific payment needs of our customers and remove the complexities and challenges of their digital payment solutions.”
Rob Pailin, CEO at Total Processing, said: “It’s an exciting time at Total Processing as we continue to rapidly grow as a business and take on board the best talent within the industry. Bringing in people with experience in both traditional banks, as well as fintech, is helping us to build such a strong and dynamic team.
“On top of their valuable experience, Simon, Aden and William are full of passion to succeed which makes them such a great hire to help us achieve our goal of being the most customer-focused payments company in the world.”
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Full-service law firm Slater Heelis has promoted Rhian Owen to head of corporate commercial – the department she first joined as an associate in 2014.
Rhian’s recent promotion is the culmination of a track record of success advising on acquisitions and disposals, private equity transactions, company reorganisations and joint ventures. Notably, she was instrumental in last year’s flotation of emerging biotech BiVictriX onto the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. She had previously guided the cancer therapeutics business through its funding rounds on the journey to the listing.
Slater Heelis corporate team
Simon Wallwork, the previous head of the department, will continue to focus on client work. Simon recently completed sales of Incom CNS, Sun Valley Caravan Park, Sunny Sands Holiday Park, KMP Associates and HL Healthcare. In addition, he will be appointed to the board of Slater Heelis and continue to work on the firm’s strategic plans, business development and client relationships in sectors such as life sciences and tech.
He said: “Rhian and I have worked together for a very long time and the decision to appoint her at the head of this department was an easy one to make, given the reputation she has cemented for herself and for Slater Heelis. The BiVictriX transaction is a perfect example of her specialist expertise in the life sciences sector – plus she has a long history of advising start-ups from early stage to funding rounds, R&D, commercialisation and exit.”
Rhian Owen said: “My plan for the new-look corporate commercial team at Slater Heelis is to set ourselves ambitious growth targets for 2023, not least with life sciences clients. We are equally at home working in academia and big pharma, and we know the legislative landscape and nuances of such markets inside and out.”
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CBRE has appointed Joe Rigby as head of office agency for the Northern region to continue delivering on market leading strategies for its investor and occupier clients.
Rigby has been with CBRE since 2014 and took over as the Northern region’s head of occupier services in 2019, utilising his global expertise to advise occupiers on their real estate strategy and direction. The division has been key to assisting clients navigating the pandemic and changes to the workplace, delivering on regional workplace strategy and transactions for several multinational corporations. The team has also secured international mandates for clients.
Joe Rigby
Frankie Isherwood and Charles Parkinson will continue to drive the Northern occupier business while colleagues across the Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds offices will service the broad spectrum of investor clients. CBRE’s senior director Neil Mort will be transferring his extensive expertise within the office sector into the firm’s property management team as the business looks set for strategic growth, and team lead Jenny Smith will take on a UK-wide remit. The new roles will take effect from January 1, 2023.
John Ogden, MD of CBRE’s Northern business, said: “The occupier services division has been an invaluable asset to our regional and international clients during turbulent market conditions and Joe has expertly led the team to huge acclaim.
“To transition to head of office agency for our Northern region is a natural step for Joe and our fantastic team will further prosper under his leadership. We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Mort to our property management team as his unrivalled experience will bring a new viewpoint to the division and provide superb insight to our clients.”
Joe Rigby said: “To be taking the helm of the Northern office agency team is incredibly exciting and I am looking forward to working across our whole client portfolio to bring strategic advice and vision to projects and organisations.”
Neil Mort said: “It’s an honour to be taking over the Northern property management team. I’m looking forward to working with the team to bring a best in class service to our clients and achieve our future growth plans.”
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Leo Group said Jane Brindle, technical advisor at the Penrith-based business, has been appointed as the new and first female chair of the Foodchain and Biomass Renewables Association (FABRA UK), the UK’s authority on the use, value and biosecurity of animal by-products.
Jane brings significant technical know-how to this high profile voluntary role, having gained extensive experience in the meat industry for more than 20 years before joining Leo Group in February 2011. These years of experience and her keen interest in how the rendering industry fits into the circular economy model and how it contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of the food industry make her well equipped to represent FABRA UK’s members and to liaise with regulators and government departments on various issues.
Jane Brindle
Jane was appointed as FABRA’s chair at the last AGM on November 17, 2022, for a term of two years. She said: “I would like to express my sincere thanks for the appointment and the trust the board have placed in me. I look forward to the challenges ahead and I am proud to represent all FABRA members.”
Danny Sawrij, CEO of Leo Group, said: “As a member of FABRA UK, Leo Group is proud to have a chair from our organisation for the first time. Jane Brindle has been with the group for over 10 years and has been instrumental in delivering our environmental permit changes for all new processes introduced across the group. She works closely with the Environment Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), our main regulatory bodies.”
The FABRA UK board said: “Jane was unanimously approved as chairman by the board and will bring a wealth of experience and technical knowledge to the role to assist Adrian Kesterson (technical advisor) and Nikki Robertson (administration manager) in running FABRA UK.”
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Independent insurance brokers, Griffiths & Armour, has appointed Tanya Winstanley as partner and also director of Griffiths & Armour (Holdings) Limited following FCA regulatory approval.
Joining the Liverpool-based Griffiths & Armour in 2003, Tanya has developed a wealth of experience in professional risks working with the firm’s primarily large, complex and international clients, including architects, consulting engineers and approved inspectors within the construction industry.
Tanya Winstanley
As an associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Liverpool, Tanya joined the business after graduation, developing a comprehensive understanding of the insurance market, with particular focus on professional indemnity.
Client management and development responsibilities have seen Tanya involved in many collaborative initiatives on behalf of clients, utilising her close links with Assurex Global Partners, the largest privately held insurance broker partnership in the world. With board responsibility for the firm’s Approved Inspectors portfolio, liaising with the Government and trade bodies on some of the big challenges facing this sector, Tanya applies her unique insight to many of the legal and negotiation challenges faced by our construction clients.
Carl Evans, partner and group chief executive professional risks division, said: “I welcome Tanya to the Griffiths & Armour board, her appointment is richly deserved and her skills will be a great addition to our leadership team.”
Tanya said: “Griffiths & Armour brings out the best in their team, and having joined the firm straight from university and developing my role and experience here throughout my career, to now be appointed to the board as a partner is a real honour.”
