Ashman Bank expands senior management team
Ashman, the ambitious new entrant bank, has appointed Ben Hynes as chief information officer (CIO) and Mark Holloway as chief technology officer (CTO), expanding its senior team.
In his new role as CIO, Ben will lead the management of the bank’s IT Infrastructure, systems and operations, and will drive Ashman’s ambitious IT and business transformation strategy. Ben joined Ashman in 2019 as programme director and head of transformation. He was responsible for leading the delivery of the bank’s successful application for a UK Banking Licence, which resulted in Authorisation with Restriction (or ‘AWR’) in June this year.
Ben has 25 years’ experience in project and programme management, having worked with leading financial services and IT services companies. He has most recently held roles as transformation director for Vive/GKBK and programme director at Aldermore Bank.
As chief technology officer (CTO), Mark will lead Ashman’s technology strategy and the engineering and Information Security functions. This bank’s technology will support the delivery of a best-in-class customer experience and improved revenue and sales opportunities. Mark will be integral in bridging Ashman’s technical vision with its business goals, supporting the bank’s growth plans.
Mark brings over 20 years’ experience in delivering IT transformation across a broad range of industry sectors, including banking and financial services. He joined Ashman in 2018 as head of technology, leading on the bank’s IT strategy and technology platform build. As a founding member, Holloway played a pivotal role in achieving Ashman’s provisional UK Banking Licence.
Before joining Ashman, Mark was regulatory technology consultant and project delivery lead for LiquidMetrix, with prior senior leadership roles at Maple Securities and Intelligent Financial Systems.
This expansion of Ashman’s senior management team follows a recent funding round that took the bank’s total funding to date to over £17.5m. Ashman is moving towards launch as quickly as possible, subject to a regulatory timeline and approval, when it will roll out its proposition – simple, transparent access to lending for conscientious SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in commercial real estate.
Simon Healy, COO of Ashman Bank said: “Ben and Mark have made a huge impact at Ashman already. In their new roles, they will be instrumental in delivering Ashman’s vision of transforming the banking experience for property entrepreneurs.
“Ashman is powered by a passionate bunch of clever, seasoned experts like Mark and Ben, who boast a wealth of financial services and IT experience. Our senior management team has been assembled to ensure we are armed with the knowledge and insight to drive positive change and create a greener future for all, through finance. These promotions take us one step closer to accomplishing our goals.”
Commenting on his appointment, Benjamin Hynes, CIO said: “It’s an honour to be part of a bank committed to change. I’m incredibly excited to deliver the IT and business transformation strategy, that will support Ashman’s ambitious plan to offer a unique client experience at the forefront of the future of banking.”
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Mark Holloway, CTO said: “I am thrilled to support Ashman’s mission to simplify banking and provide solutions for conscientious property businesses and entrepreneurs in my role as CTO. I’m confident that through next generation technology, we can build something that makes a genuine difference.”
Headquartered in Birmingham, Ashman is initially focused on providing fast and personalised lending to property businesses and entrepreneurs in the UK, while providing personal savers with competitive rates. Ashman will lend on deals from £100k to £5m and plans to transform the banking experience for property SMEs, a £90bn market opportunity by offering access to the right lending and know-how to create sustainable properties and practices of tomorrow.
