DueCourse Makes Key Management Changes

People Moves
24.01.2017 01:00 pm

Progressive Manchester-based Fintech firm announces key hires

Rapidly expanding DueCourse, the smart invoice financing service for SMEs, is starting the year on a high with a major recruitment drive following the appointment of an operations director, two software engineers, and a content lead, taking its growing team of experts to 15.

Joining DueCourse as Operations Director, Matt Heap boasts 16 years’ experience across a range of senior management and director roles within the alternative credit market. With credentials including roles at Bellavail IMS, Loan.co.uk and Baines & Ernst, Matt will be a valuable asset to the DueCourse team.

Heap says: “It’s great to join at such a vibrant time for the business and wider Fintech industry. We are set to announce lots of exciting developments over the next 12 months and I am looking forward to helping DueCourse achieve its business goals.”

Also joining the DueCourse team as a Senior Software Engineer, is Julian Haegar who brings with him a wealth of experience gained at leading firms, Laterooms.com, Waters and Trayport. Haegar’s extensive knowledge will help support the company’s ambitious growth plans that have already secured DueCourse’s place as leader in Manchester’s Fintech market since it launched in 2015.

Haegar says: “As a pioneer of the North West’s booming Fintech scene, it’s a really exciting time to be joining DueCourse. The company is constantly seeking new investments and launching partnerships with the likes of online accountancy leaders SageOne and Xero, so I’m delighted to be helping shape its future.”

DueCourse has also appointed Software Engineer, Andrew Johnson. Having previously worked with Ravelin Technology, Goldman Sachs International and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Johnson is highly experienced in full stack development, application architecture and algorithm design and computation, aiding the fulfilment of DueCourse’s ongoing business plan.

Johnson comments: “I can’t wait to bring my experience to DueCourse and contribute to the ambitions of the company. Fintech is only set to grow over the next five years so it is great to be a part of DueCourse at such a crucial time for the industry.”

Completing the line-up, highly experienced content marketer and journalist, Justine Gribbin, joins DueCourse as Content Hero. Her impressive career history of content creation with TyresOnTheDrive.com and editorial experience with Staffordshire Media makes her an invaluable addition to the DueCourse team.

Gribbin says: “At what is a pivotal time for DueCourse, and the wider Fintech scene, I’m looking forward to using my experience to support SMEs with useful advisory content. I will be spearheading the creation of a content hub with lots of great information to help small businesses succeed, so that’s going to be a really exciting project to work on ”

Since launching in 2015, DueCourse has advanced over £1 million worth of invoices and is on track to advance over £16.5 million by the end of 2016. The organisation recently secured a new investment of £6.25 million, the largest investment seen outside of London for a Fintech company. This investment has placed DueCourse in a strong position within the SME business lending market in the UK with 8 out of 10 SMEs who use the cash flow utility going on to regularly use the product.

DueCourse plans to raise a further Series A round of £10-15 million in funding over the next 10 months in a bid to fulfil its continued growth plans, both within its team and the services it provides to national and international markets.

CEO Paul Haydock says: “It’s great to be able to bring an experienced operations director, two very talented software engineers and a highly talented content lead onto our growing team. Their invaluable skills will help us deliver our aim of developing DueCourse into a global brand.

“We are excited to see what the year ahead brings for our ever-growing team. We intend to secure even more investment to help us support the UK’s SMEs, and we’ll be getting out into the local business community to lend a hand in every way possible. Watch this space!”