Finova has appointed three directors who will be based in its new Manchester hub, with recruitment for the site now 80% complete.
Hemant Kumar joins as Research and Development Director, responsible for heading-up the development of Finova's next-generation AI decision engine that will help define the company’s offering for the next decade. He brings more than two decades of experience leading technology modernisation across financial services, the public sector and healthcare. Joining from Accenture, he has a proven track record of scaling full-stack and data engineering teams and turning strategic ambition into shipped product.
Pete Craven joins as Director of DevOps. In this role, he will lead the platform engineering team responsible for building the secure, scalable cloud infrastructure underpinning Finova’s next-generation platform. With more than 13 years of experience driving large-scale cloud transformations, Pete has a strong track record of building high-performing engineering teams and robust DevSecOps architectures. He joins Finova following senior roles leading cloud strategy and delivery at technology consultancies and global brands including Slalom Build, Made Tech, Booking.com and IBM. During his career, he has architected mission-critical platforms for organisations ranging from the NHS and the Home Office to Sainsbury’s and Lloyds Bank.
Kelly Wilson joins as Director of Technical Delivery, where she will lead the teams responsible for technical delivery across Finova’s engineering-supported product suite. She brings a broad range of experience spanning financial services, consulting and education, most recently leading Salesforce programmes at London Stock Exchange Group. Prior to this, Kelly spent almost 15 years serving across both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, working in IT and supporting global communications operations.
All three appointments report to Chief Technology Officer David Espley, and build on Finova's broader commitment to growing engineering talent in the UK. The company recently partnered with Makers Academy to bring eight early-career engineers into the business further demonstrating its investment in talent development from entry level through to senior leadership.
Gareth Richardson, CEO, said: “Hemant, Pete and Kelly are exactly the calibre of leaders we need to support the next phase of Finova’s growth, and they join a highly talented engineering and product workforce that is already delivering exceptional work for our customers across Manchester, London, Cheltenham and India. These appointments are about strengthening the depth of expertise and leadership across our wider teams as we continue to scale our AI and platform capabilities.
“When we opened our Manchester hub, we said that AI-driven growth would create jobs and investment in talent, and these appointments are a reflection of that commitment. With such a strong team across the business, we are well positioned to continue building the next era of UK financial services technology.”
