LHV UK appoints three new execs to support UK banking push
LHV UK, a subsidiary of Estonian banking and financial services company LHV Group, has announced the arrival of three new executive hires as it looks to strengthen its management team to support its recent UK banking licence application.
LHV applied for a UK banking licence in 2020
Gary Sher has been named the firm’s new chief financial officer (CFO), with Assad Kazi and Rebecca Wright joining as chief risk officer (CRO) and chief people officer (CPO) respectively.
Sher joins from JBR Capital having previously spent two years as finance director at Starling Bank. He will lead LHV UK’s financial management.
Kazi previously worked as a director at Deloitte leading the treasury and prudential risk division, while Wright joins from open banking infrastructure provider Token where she served as the vice president of people.
LHV Group, which has been operating in London since 2018, announced its plans to launch a new fintech and SME-focused bank in the UK last year, separate from its Estonian banking operations.
The firm applied for a new banking licence in the UK in October, stating at the time “we believe that a dedicated bank in the UK will better serve our long-term ambition and the needs of our international clients”.
The company now hopes that expanding its UK management team will help the aspiring bank “towards the next stage of growth” as its application progresses.
LHV UK CEO Erki Kilu claims the firm “already looks after more than 170 fintech clients with more joining weekly as we add more functionality and services to our client-facing proposition”.
