John Lewis bolsters finance team amid £50m investment
John Lewis is investing over £50m this year to grow the company’s financial services business, and will recruit to increase the size of the finance team by a third
John Lewis Finance has appointed Paul Dawson to the newly created role of product director and Alison Verlander as the chief risk officer, in a bid to help lead the company’s expansion into new financial products and services.
The announcement comes as John Lewis revealed it is investing over £50m this year to grow the company’s financial services business. John Lewis is recruiting to increase the size of the finance team by a third, as well as creating new products and services.
Dawson co-founded Fluxx (now known as Magnetic), a UK independent product and service design and innovation agency. He has led teams to create products, experiences and propositions for numerous high profile brands, including Lloyds Bank, eSure, Virgin Atlantic, Channel 4 and Argos.
Meanwhile, Verlander has worked across a range of financial services firms over the last 30 years, including TSB, RBS and Nationwide Building Society to small start ups. She has had a career in consulting as well as working at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as a supervisor and advocate for consumers.
Amir Goshtai, director of John Lewis Financial Services, said: “I’m really delighted to have Paul and Alison on board. They bring a wealth of experience to the business, and are joining at an exciting time as we accelerate the transformation and growth of our financial services business.
“Paul will lead and grow our digital product function, building feature teams to deliver disruptive products and experiences for our customers. Alison has a critical role in ensuring we grow our business in a sustainable way and uphold the highest standards in compliance and risk management.”
Dawson added: “This is such an amazing time to join the partnership. There are so many opportunities right now to use the assets and resources at our disposal to create financial products and services that can play a meaningful role in peoples’ lives and are distinctively John Lewis.”
Verlander said: “Growing the John Lewis Finances proposition to offer more great quality products and services in areas where trust really matters for customers is an exciting prospect. I am thrilled to be part of the team and support the sustainable growth of the partnership.”
