This week’s London appointments

Helen Francis, United Living

Building and maintenance contractor United Living has announced the appointment of Helen Francis to help grow the firm in the North.

Helen has previously led and developed teams for construction companies such as Kier and Keepmoat, where she was responsible for departments including business development, marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Helen said of her appointment: “This is an exciting time to come on board for United Living. It’s a construction business with a real social conscience, a good solid basis of existing contracts and has huge potential to grow and develop its offer across the North and Midlands.

“The forward order book is particularly strong with more than £800m worth of contracts, of which a significant portion will be in these regions.”

United Living MD Jo Jamieson commented: “It’s fantastic to have Helen join our team at United Living. Helen has the expertise to further support the growth of our business in the North and Midlands.

“She brings with her a wealth of experience and will have an important role to play in growing our overall offer in new build and refurbishment for both housing association and local authority clients.”

Monika Goldberg, Bitdefender

Global cybersecurity company Bitdefender has appointed a new vice president of corporate marketing.

Monika Goldberg has held leadership roles with other prominent names in the industry, including McAfee and Cisco.

Alongside her experience in the cloud security market, she has over 20 years in marketing, product management and business development.

Monika’s remit in the next few months will see her consolidating the company’s positioning, improving communications and increasing threat intelligence sharing.

Bogdan Irina, Bitdefender’s chief operating officer, said: “Monika is an experienced business leader who brings world-class marketing practices.

“She will play a key role in supporting Bitdefender and its strategy for continued growth and leadership in the cybersecurity industry.”

Maggie McGhee, ACCA

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has appointed Maggie McGhee in the role of executive director - governance.

Maggie will step into the job on October 1 to replace outbound exec director Peter Large, who will retire after 10 years in the post.

Maggie is currently ACCA’s director - professional insights, having joined the body in 2016.

Since May, she has covered the additional post of interim director – brand and corporate reputation.

ACCA chief executive Helen Brand OBE said: ‘In just two years as our director - professional insights, Maggie has significantly contributed to ACCA’s leadership of the profession.

“She’s successfully directed a team of talented subject experts, publishing a wide range of engaging research from the impact of the global economy to social mobility to tax policy, as well as focusing ACCA’s public affairs activities around the world.”

Helen added: “Maggie brings a wealth of experience to this role. She has a deep understanding of the profession and the need for it to deliver public value.”

Maggie commented: “I look forward to my new role on ACCA’s executive team. This is a pivotal time for the accountancy profession. Trust and quality in financial reporting, audit, corporate governance, and investor stewardship are essential.

“These are critical to the functioning of financial markets, the global economy and to public confidence. Our reputation rests on that of our members.”

Boris Dragovic, Hyperoptic

Gigabit broadband provider Hyperoptic has appointed Boris Dragovic as chief strategy and transformation officer.

In his new role, Boris’ will work to ensure Hyperoptic has a winning strategy to deliver cutting-edge broadband services across Britain.

He was previously senior vice president at McKinsey & Company’s Recovery and Transformation Services and holds a PhD in mobile computing, telecommunications and information security from the University of Cambridge.

Hyperoptic CEO Dana Tobak said: “Hyperoptic has hugely grown over the last five years. The recent £250m we secured in funding is going to fuel another period of fast expansion of both our network and team.

“Boris will ensure that we scale and employ capital efficiently and effectively. Hyperoptic’s successful growth is not just great for us - ultimately it means that we can Gigabit Britain faster!”

Boris Dragovic commented: “Hyperoptic is uniquely positioned in the UK broadband market – it has catalysed an industrywide shift towards full fibre and it has the first mover advantage to own a huge part of the market.

“I am excited to ensure that Hyperoptic maximises this opportunity through its strategic positioning and by implementing new internal structures, processes and ways of working, whilst keeping a firm hold of its entrepreneurial spirit.”

Ingigerður Guðmundsdóttir, Chip & PIN Solutions

Point of sale card payment company Chip & PIN Solutions (CPS) has appointed a new managing director.

Ingigerður (Inga) Guðmundsdóttir, previous CPS’ operations director, moved to the UK in October 2017 from the firm’s Icelandic parent company, Valitor.

Inga’s background also includes roles at Arion Bank and JP Morgan.

She said: “I made the move to the UK from Iceland to support the growth of the Chip & PIN Solutions’ business. We now service thousands of customers and are one of the most recognised brands among UK SMEs.

“With the move to MD, I want to continue to leverage the relationship between CPS and Valitor to provide excellence in customer service and payment services for our customers.”

She added: “I also want to use my position to inspire and mentor more women to take senior roles in the payments industry. I am incredibly excited by the opportunity.”

Valitor CEO Vidar Thorkelsson commented: “Valitor is committed to hiring and rewarding the very best talent. Inga is a brilliant candidate to be MD of Chip & PIN Solutions and brings a wealth of experience and passion to the role.

“Her appointment also underlines Valitor’s commitment to diversity as the bedrock of our success.”