Mark Williams
Chief Operating Officer & Head of Credit Risk

Mark has over 35 years’ experience working in financial services, having started his career at HSBC in 1984, where he held many and varied roles across personal finance, commercial lending and global banking, through to his last role in HSBC Private Bank looking after high net worth individuals.

 

Mark furthered his career into the FinTech world of Peer-to-Peer lending in 2014, initially at RateSetter as Head of Business Credit and Risk creating and setting up their SME proposition, before moving in 2017 to Growth Street as the Risk Director, where he was instrumental as part of the leadership team in tripling the loan book in just under 18 months.

 

Mark has been the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Credit Risk at NEXA Finance since September 2019.

Sian Gant
Group Finance Director

Sian joined the Melton Mowbray Building Society (MMBS) in July 2013 as Financial Controller and was promoted to Commercial Director in December 2018 and then to Group Finance Director in April 2020.

 

Sian’s previous career includes 5 years working for Grant Thornton, where she qualified as a chartered accountant in 2004. Since then she has worked in the financial services industry specialising in corporate accounting and reporting, prudential risk management and operational resilience.

 

Sian Chair’s the Assets and Liabilities Committee and serves on the Executive Committee and as a Director of each of the Society’s subsidiaries. She is also a Trustee of the Melton Mowbray Building Society Staff Pension and Life Assurance Scheme.

 

Sian has been an executive director of NEXA since August 2018.

Andrew Goodbody
Head of Business Development

Andrew is a real estate finance specialist with over 25 years’ experience in the sector. He has worked for several international banks during his career and was General Manager of German Bank DG HYP’s London Office from 2007-2011. He was also President of the Association of Property Lenders from 2008-2012, and more recently Head of Debt Advisory & Structured Finance at Peritus Corporate Finance in London, where he helped to launch an innovative joint venture funding proposition for residential developers providing up to 95% LTC funding in return for a 30% profit share and a 9% coupon during the construction period.

 

Andrew joined NEXA Finance in March 2020. He is a strong believer in the Peer-to-Peer business model and is committed to NEXA’s future success.

Fiona Pollard
Chairman 

Fiona had a ten-year career in investment banking with various institutions including NatWest Markets and Goldman Sachs. She left the City in 1997 to start her own events business.

 

Fiona is also on the board of Monument Corporation and the Roman Baths Foundation and is currently the Chair of Visit England – the government’s national tourism body.

 

Fiona was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Melton Mowbray Building Society on the 9th October 2014. She is a member of the Risk Committee and also chairs the Remunerations and Nominations Committee of MMBS. As well as Chairman of NEXA Finance since the 24th October 2018.

Simon Taylor
MMBS Group CEO and Executive Director of NEXA Finance

Simon has over 30 years of financial services experience and joined the Melton Group as Chief Executive in June 2020. Previously he was the Chief Operating Officer of the Nottingham, a top 10 Building Society for nearly 8 years. Simon has held a number of senior roles at Lloyds and Barclays and was a Regional Director for Lloyds Banking Group before joining the Building Society Sector.

 

Simon is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, holds an MBA and is an alumnus in Advanced Strategic Management from Kellogg North-Western Business School in Chicago.

Andy Capps
Non-Executive Director of NEXA Finance

Andy has over 40 years’ experience working in financial services and risk management. He had a successful 15 year first career dealing in financial markets in the City of London and enjoyed a second career as a senior manager with KPMG, specialising in risk management. Andy was also Director of Risk at a large building society.

 

In 2012, Andy established his own consultancy firm advising financial institutions on how to manage a range of key risks.

 

Andy was appointed to the Board of Directors of Melton Mowbray Building Society in February 2013 and is Chair of the Risk Committee and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee. Andy is Chair of Nexa’s Risk and Compliance Committee.

Jonathan Farrington
Non-Executive Director of NEXA Finance

Jonathan has worked in the oil, pharmaceutical and retail sectors including Mobil Oil and Alliance Boots. He served as Group CEO of the Dr Max Group in Central Europe, Finance Director of Boots Retail International and Director of Corporate Development (Europe, Middle East & Africa) for the Alliance Boots Group. Having worked internationally for much of the last twenty years, he has spent time living overseas.

 

Jonathan has significant experience in establishing and building new businesses in both a corporate and standalone environment.