Data analytics consultancy Dufrain has appointed Alex Meakin as its first chief financial officer.
Meakin began his career as a design and software engineer before qualifying as a chartered accountant with PwC and brings over 20 years’ worth of experience in finance across a range of sectors.
He joins from Brookson Group, a private equity-backed tech-enabled services business where, as CFO, he was responsible for M&A, debt financing, financial planning and analysis and due diligence.
He also led the company through a sale to People 2.0 in May this year and has also previously held senior finance roles at Thomas Cook, Manchester Airport and Barclays.
Manchester-based Dufrain said Meakin’s considerable experience from previous roles at private equity-backed companies will help fulfil its growth plans following significant investment from Phoenix Equity Partners earlier this year.
Meakin will also join the board of directors and will work closely with CEO Joseph George and CCO Gerry Goodwin to play a key role in the effective running of the business’ finance, governance and operations functions.
The news follows the announcement that Mark Fowle has joined as chairman.
“Alex brings with him a wealth of experience and I’m looking forward to working closely with him throughout this period of growth for Dufrain,” said George.
“His diverse background in a wide range of senior finance roles as well as his keen interest in data and analytics makes him a great fit for the company, especially as such during such a pivotal and exciting period of growth for us.
“I’m confident he’ll be a real asset to our senior team, providing insight and knowledge from previous roles at PE backed companies.”
Meakin added: “Dufrain has seen huge growth over the last year, and its ability to deliver excellent outcomes for clients as well as an unrivalled internal culture attracted its investment from Phoenix back in July.
“It’s such an exciting time to join the team, and I’m looking forward to working with Joseph and the whole board to deliver on the ambitious growth plans already in the pipeline.”