Finastra today announced that Gareth Burton has joined the company as Chief Information Officer (CIO) with responsibility for leading Finastra’s Global Information Services team. He will oversee the company’s enterprise core infrastructure and employee services, as well as supporting all business and financial applications.

Gareth has three decades of experience in the international technology space within the telecommunications, oil and gas and engineering and construction industries, leading large digital transformation programs. He joins Finastra from Laing O’Rourke where he worked as CIO for over four years.

Rob Binns, CFO at Finastra said, “Gareth brings a depth and breadth of business, technology and strategic acumen with a proven track record in driving business and financial improvements. This positions him well to lead our world-class Global Information Services team, continuously improving  our internal infrastructure efficiency and data analytics, as well as deploying self-service applications for our employees. What’s more, the ability to innovate and offer maximum flexibility to our clients is essential at a time when the financial services industry is going through a revolution in the way it operates. This is a great moment for Gareth to join us as we partner with banks, Fintechs and other industry players to re-define our industry with our market leading innovations.”

Commenting on his appointment, Gareth said, “I relish the opportunity to contribute to Finastra’s ongoing growth and development, and strategically aligning our IT resources to the priorities of the business, establishing our reputation for excellence and innovation.”

Gareth will work closely with Natalie Gammon, previously CIO and now Chief Cloud Officer, responsible for driving the company’s cloud and data center roadmap.

Gareth’s previous experience includes roles at African Minerals, Baker Hughes, Motorola and BT and a non-executive board position with an industry leading European SaaS software business. He is also a passionate supporter of employee mental health, having been an industry advisor to and fundraiser for MIND, the UK’s leading mental health charity.