Deko – the retail finance technology provider – has strengthened its board with the appointment of a new sales and marketing director, as it sets its sights on major growth. 

Kaye Rickards brings over 20 years’ industry experience to the role, having held senior business development, new sector development and account strategy positions within the information technology sector across all aspects of retail lending. 

Kaye joins Deko from Callcredit Information Group, where she worked for 13 years initially as part of the start-up founding team that challenged, disrupted and ultimately changed the UK bureau market. Most recently, Kaye led the strategy and teams for two of the UK’s largest banks, focusing on data and technology for origination, customer management and digital on-boarding. 

Before Callcredit – and propelled by an eight-year stint in solutions at Experian – Kaye held various leadership positions at FT.com. Focusing on research services for a range of FTSE 100 clients, Kaye headed up teams within client management and business development.

In her new role, Kaye will be responsible for leading the sales and marketing strategy at Deko, working closely with all core functions of the business to refine the proposition, expand partnerships, further develop the team and drive growth.

Deko’s innovative technology and multi-lender platform helps customers easily and effectively spread the cost of purchases, allowing merchants to improve sales conversion and increase average order values. The company is working with merchants from a wide range of sectors to challenge traditional consumer credit models and disrupt the finance marketplace.

Kaye said: “It’s been hugely exciting for me to become part of the Deko team. There’s a lot of talent in this business, not to mention a world class technology platform. It’s the very thing that attracted me. With a strong background in finance and technology and a love of collaboration and creating winning propositions for clients, I feel that, together with the rest of the team, we can steer Deko towards our growth targets. At the same time, we’ll be helping more consumers to access good finance and more retailers to boost their bottom lines.”

Deko recently reached a milestone £500 million in accumulative lending and has plans to diversify its product range, grow its portfolio of lenders and merchants and expand internationally.

Peter Mansfield, CEO at Deko, said: “We’ve got very ambitious growth plans at Deko and are expanding at a rapid rate. It’s therefore essential that we have the right people with the right experience in place to help us achieve those goals. Kaye has proven her ability to deliver commercially-driven campaigns and secure new business, so we look forward to seeing her apply her expertise to retail finance and help to perfect our proposition and penetrate new markets.”