Invoice finance and fintech company announces the passing of CEO, Richard Pepler
Founding director, CEO of Optimum Finance and veteran of the invoice finance sector Richard Pepler sadly passed away on 5 June 2020.
The Optimum Finance team, supported by investors JRJ Group, have expressed their sincere condolences to Richard’s family.
Richard was well-known and much-loved in the industry and he will be missed by the many people who have had the good fortune to work with him during his thirty-year plus career.
CFO Scott Braybrook, who has been with the business since 2018, will now move into an interim CEO role and will be supported by COO Claire Lewis, also a founding director of the business.
The senior management team and JRJ Group have expressed their commitment to continuing Richard’s legacy and vision, supporting UK SMEs with fast and flexible funding.
Commenting on the announcement, Scott Braybrook said: “Richard was highly respected in the industry and he will be sorely missed by the many people with whom he worked.
“I would like to thank everyone who has been in touch to share kind words and memories of Richard. Our forty-strong team at Optimum Finance is now focused on continuing to grow the business – it’s what Richard would have wanted and is the best way we can pay homage to him.”
“We are also discussing other ways that we can pay tribute to Richard by way of a memorial fund or scholarship in his name and will announce details in the near future.”
Peter Sugarman, COO of JRJ Group and chairman of optimum Finance, who worked with Richard since the inception of Optimum Finance said: “Over the past four years Richard became a friend as well as colleague. I held him in the highest esteem and will miss his passion for life, a view I know will be shared by his many friends, clients and colleagues.”.
“Richard had an incredible talent for nurturing UK SMEs, and we at Optimum will all strive to grow and expand the business, investing in emerging technologies to ensure the firm continues to live up to Richard’s vision.”
