Finova, the UK’s largest provider of cloud-based mortgage, savings and lending software, 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.