This week's London appointments

Gary Turner, The Link App

Legal software platform The Link App has appointed Gary Turner as growth board advisor.

The co-founder of cloud-based accounting SaaS platform Xero, Gary has 30 years of experience in the software industry.

Prior to setting up Xero, Gary held positions at firms such as Pegasus and Microsoft

Gary Turner – co-founder at Xero, the cloud-based accounting software-as-a-service platform for small businesses – has joined the board of The Link App, the innovative and easy-to-use client software platform that helps lawyers keep in touch with their clients.

Lauren Riley, solicitor and CEO of The Link App commented: “We are privileged to be joined at board level by someone of Gary’s experience and standing in the world of software.

“The fact that he sees similarities between The Link App and Xero is excellent news for the thousands of UK law firms seeking to deliver a world-class client service experience.”

Gary added: ““It is in my DNA to support scaling businesses. I see significant parallels between the worlds of accounting and law.”

“It is also very encouraging to see another female-founded technology business emerge in the UK, and so I’ll be doing all I can to help Lauren benefit from my experience of growing Xero in the last decade.”

Neeta Atkar, The British Business Bank

The British Business Bank has appointed Neeta Atkar as senior independent director.

Having served as a non-executive director since July 2016, Neeta will continue to chair the British Business Bank’s Risk Committee alongside her new role.

With 25 years of experience in risk management, Neeta has held senior positions at a number of financial services firms, the Bank of England and financial regulatory bodies.

Until the end of 2016, Ms Atkar was chief risk officer at TSB Bank. Neeta also currently serves on the board of Yorkshire Building Society Group and is chair of its Risk Committee.

Lord Smith, chair of the British Business Bank, commented: “I am pleased to welcome Neeta to her new role as senior independent director and look forward to working with her closely as we continue to make finance markets work better for smaller UK businesses.”

Edwin Groenendaal, HARNESS Property Intelligence

Commercial real estate data specialist HARNESS Property Intelligence has appointed Edwin Groenendaal as chief technical officer.

With over 20 years of experience in building technology solutions, Edwin most recently completed a five-year stint at property market analyst Hometrack. Prior to that, Edwin was the CTO at an educational consultancy firm.

In his new role, Edwin’s key responsibilities will include oversight of the group’s overall technological strategy and development.

Ben Mein, CEO of HARNESS Property Intelligence commented: “The appointment of Edwin is an exciting indicator of how far the company has come and illustrates our continued growth, against a backdrop of falling investment in UK proptech.

“Edwin will offer a valuable contribution to the continued development of products that bring unique capabilities to partners and clients. We look forward to bringing these to market in the coming months.”

Tom Denyard, Tesco Mobile

Telecoms giant Tesco Mobile has appointed Tom Denyard as CEO.

Joining from Tesco Malaysia where he held the role of chief operating officer, Tom has a range of experience working across FMCG.

Prior to his time with the Tesco Group, Tom held roles with firms such as Unilever and Marks & Spencer.

Tom succeeds Claire Lorains, following two and a half years at the network. Claire has led Tesco Mobile’s Clubcard partnership, including the forthcoming launch of Clubcard Plus on 8 November. Claire will now take up a new role within the Tesco Group.

Steve Gauke, Kreston Reeves

Business advisory firm Kreston Reeves has appointed Steve Gauke as director of new business.

With over 25 years of experience in developing sales strategies, Steve has held senior roles at the likes of Reed Elsevier, Carillion and The Law Society of England and Wales.

Commenting on his appointment Steve said: “Kreston Reeves is the preeminent accountancy and business advisory firm in the South East.

“It has an envious client base that includes some of the region’s largest businesses and charities, alongside private clients. The firm has ambitious growth targets and my role is to help the firm achieve those targets.”

Andrew Griggs, senior partner at Kreston Reeves, added: “Businesses of all sizes face challenges in preparing for and achieving growth. Just as we help our clients grow and develop, we too have ambitious growth plans.

“We are thrilled by Steve’s decision to join Kreston Reeves and help us deliver on those ambitions.”

Lauri Paal, Nicholas Nikrouyan and Ricky Junday, Augnet

Startup Augnet has appointed Lauri Paal, Nicholas Nikrouyan and Ricky Junday to its London team.

Lauri joins as senior product & operations advisor, alongside his existing role of chief product officer at KNEIP.

A former director of telecom services at Skype, Paal oversaw the global voice services operation for the firms.

Nicholas joins Augnet as senior MNO advisor. Following a stint at Global One Communications, Nicholas joined Proximus (Belgacom) Group in 2000. In 2006 he became CCO at BICS, where he also acted as a member of its executive management committee.

Ricky Junday joins the firm as senior product manager. A product lifecycle and solutions specialist, Ricky has experience across global operators, retailers and distributors including T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, H3G, HTC, Nokia and Symbian.

Prior to his current role, Ricky worked at Ricochez Consulting where he provided product market solutions with a focus on smartphones, connected devices and AI.

Commenting on the appointments, Augnet founder and CEO, Daniel Gill, said: “We are excited to welcome this trio of experienced new faces to the Augnet team. Their experience will be vital in accelerating Augnet on its journey to the next level.”