Griffin strengthens executive leadership team
Today, UK bank Griffin announced two new executive hires: Chad Ryan as chief financial officer and Dora Grant as chief risk officer. These appointments will add to Griffin’s already impressive leadership team as the company stands poised for further growth in 2023.
Building out the senior management team
Chad joins Griffin with over 15 years’ experience leading finance teams in both fintechs and traditional banks. Previously, he served as chief financial officer for Starling International during the bank’s authorisation process in Ireland. Chad was programme director and strategic advisor at the Scottish National Investment Bank, and finance director at Virgin Money. Prior to that, he held a number of director roles within the Lloyds Banking Group.
Chad’s experience with both challenger and traditional banks will be invaluable as Griffin continues building an embedded finance platform that will support the next generation of fintechs as they come to market.
“The complexity of banking infrastructure means that Griffin’s platform is going to be a game-changer for the global fintech market. I am thrilled to be joining Griffin at a crucial time for the industry, and look forward to helping the team build momentum and achieve growth,” said Chad.
Embedding strong risk management
Dora joins the Griffin team with an extensive background in governance, risk management and challenger banking, and was most recently the prudential risk management subject matter expert at BDO. Dora has previously held CRO roles and operational risk roles at Legal and General, Barclays, and Lloyds.
“It is an exciting time to join Griffin as we develop a robust BaaS platform. Griffin is developing an exceptional proposition and I look forward to working with the team to ensure that an effective risk management framework and culture are embedded in our thought process and that we deliver products and services that meet the needs of our customers.” said Dora.
Dora’s leadership will be crucial for ensuring that the compliance services the bank offers are robust and comprehensive. Last year, Griffin launched its first product, Verify – an onboarding tool that automates financial crime prevention checks and allows fintechs to safely onboard new customers at scale. Dora is exceptionally well-positioned to ensure that strong risk management and compliance practices remain a key strategic driver as Griffin continues to grow and brings more products to market.
Leading the charge for Griffin
Griffin has had an impressive year so far. The fintech was recently authorised subject to restrictions as a UK bank and moved its sandbox out of beta. Griffin also recently hired a chief product officer and a general counsel, showing ongoing commitment to building a top-tier leadership team from banking, fintech and SaaS backgrounds. Chad and Dora provide deep knowledge and experience that will bring Griffin a step closer to becoming the de facto OS for embedded finance.
“We’ve very excited to have Chad and Dora on board,” said David Jarvis, Griffin co-founder and CEO. “Both bring a unique set of skills and expertise to Griffin. 2023 will be a pivotal year for us, and leaders of their calibre are going to be instrumental to achieving our ambitious goals.”
