This week's London appointments

Your latest roundup of appointments from across the capital is here.

Liz Knight, Clearwater International

International corporate finance house, Clearwater International has appointed Liz Knight in a new role as head of learning and development.

Liz joins the business with 20 years of experience, having previously held senior HR leadership roles within a number of FTSE 100 and Fortune 250 businesses across multiple sectors including insurance, technology and distribution.

In her new role, Liz will be leading the training and development across all 15 offices of the international business. Her responsibilities include analysing the business’ people practices and building upon its current talent development strategy.

Knight commented: “Clearwater International is an award-winning business that has grown its position both in the UK and internationally. Having visited the international offices, I have been excited by the talent within the business and the level of dedication and engagement.

“People clearly enjoy and are proud to work for Clearwater. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to Clearwater’s continued success through the further development of its people practices.”

Sue Asprey Price, JLL

Appointed as lead director, Sue Asprey Price has joined JLL’s corporate solutions business with immediate effect.

Through its real estate strategy, technology and services, JLL helps organisations from all industries improve their real estate performance.

Joining from corporate real estate services firm Source8, Asprey Price has significant business development and leadership experience, and has overseen the implementation of transformational projects through real estate services.

Neil Murray, CEO, said: “The future of real estate is more about people than one may think, and investing in the right talent is key to ensuring success in the new world of work. We are excited to welcome Sue to our Corporate Solutions business in the UK.

“Her broad and deep understanding of the market make her the right fit to lead our business and ensure we can continue to help our clients achieve their business ambitions.”

Ijaz Akram, Velocity

Velocity has appointed Ijaz Akram as chief technology officer, extending the company’s lead in the field of lifestyle technology. Akram joins Velocity after holding senior roles at both Amazon Prime and Microsoft Xbox.

He has brought a track record of delivery and execution on transformative global consumer technology as Velocity continues to innovate lifestyle-tech through its flagship product – Velocity Black.

Zia Yusuf, co-founder and CEO of Velocity, said: “Velocity was founded on the principle that time is our most precious asset.

“The fact that an engineering leader of Ijaz’s stature chose to give us his time and join us on our mission underscores Velocity’s position as one of the world’s leading technology companies.”

A founding member of Amazon’s new development centre in London, Akram was instrumental in driving the visibility of this new tech hub. He concurrently led the globally distributed living room team and built a significant engineering presence and capability.

While at Amazon, Akram played a significant role in the growth and presence of Amazon Prime Video, as a streaming service, on multiple platforms. Ijaz Akram, CTO of Velocity, added: “I joined Velocity because of the enormous potential in pioneering technology to deliver personalised experiences throughout the customer’s lifestyle, as well as the incredible vision of the founders, Zia and Alex.

“Velocity’s world class products enable customers to get the most out of life, and I am excited to be part of that journey.”

Marc Abraham, Settled

Settled, a fast-growing, VC-backed proptech business, has appointed Marc Abraham as chief product officer.

Abraham joins the team to strengthen Settled’s efforts as the company enters its next stage of product development.

Abraham will oversee the planning, development and delivery of future features on the platform. He will also work closely with the technology and customer experience teams to shape the future product roadmap for the business.

Marc Abraham commented: “Settled is so unique in offering a digital product and service that feels different to conventional methods for home selling and buying.

“It is designed with the customer at the forefront and seeks to remove the stress and anxiety associated with real estate transactions.

“This is something that strongly resonated with me and I’m excited to apply my product management experience to improve the platform and to create further value for Settled’s customers.”