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The major aggregator has welcomed a CIO and a CTO to its executive team as it moves to drive technological innovation.
Aggregation group Connective has bolstered its executive team with two new technical roles.
Chin Hui Yeo, the former chief technology officer (CTO) of asset finance brokerage Stratton Finance (owned by Pepper Money), has joined Connective’s executive team as its CTO.
The two appointments come after the former CIO, previously Jon Meadows, was split into two C-Suite roles, CIO and CTO, after he departed at the start of the year.
This reportedly followed a business review of Connective’s core digital offerings, where a decision was made to have dedicated C-suites for the two areas.
In his new position, Yeo is charged with spearheading technological advancements and “upholding the competitive edge of Connective’s pioneering Mercury Nexus platform”.
Yeo started the new role in May 2024 and has over 15 years of experience in managing large, distributed teams and delivering transformative projects.
He said: “I am thrilled to join Connective and look forward to leveraging my experience to enhance the platform that empowers our members and drive industry leadership.”
Meanwhile, Ashley Jackson, Connective’s former head of technology, has also joined the C-suite after being named chief information officer (CIO) in November 2023, when he began been working alongside the outgoing CIO in a handover period. He is now the sole CIO.
He will continue to be tasked with further enhancing IT operations and setting benchmarks in cyber security and operational efficiency.
Jackson said: “Being promoted to CIO is both an honour and an opportunity to harness the best of what technology has to offer to equip our members and employees with what they need to succeed. I am committed to driving forward our strategic initiatives, ensuring they deliver tangible benefits to our community.”
According to the aggregator, the inclusion of the two senior technical officers to its executive team comes as the group seeks to drive technological innovation for its brokers.
Connective noted that brokers consistently rank CRM as one of the most valued attributes offered by their aggregators, and the investment in the two hires “reaffirms it’s commitment to providing the technology and solutions that addresses broker needs”.
Glenn Lees, CEO of Connective, said that the appointments also reinforce Connective’s commitment to its corporate strategy and growth plans, focusing on innovation, expertise, and technology.
“Bringing Chin on board and promoting Ashley are both moves that are aligned with our core values and strategic goals. They will each play a crucial role in ensuring that Connective remains an example of best-in-class technology and service excellence in the aggregation industry,” he said.
The new C-level appointments come amid a range of new senior leaders at the aggregator. It welcomed Lee Postlethwaite as its first national manager of the aggregator’s asset finance arm – Connective Asset Finance – earlier this year, as well as Belinda Devlin to the role of strategic partnerships manager.
The group has also been increasingly focused on cyber security and technological fortitude, with the group recently reminding brokers to be more thorough when verifying client documents to identify and combat potential collusion between clients and third parties.
Connective’s group legal counsel Daniel Oh said: “Under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, brokers have an obligation to make reasonable inquiries. However, Connective has found that brokers do not always escalate concerns sufficiently,” he said.
[Related: Connective announces 2 key appointments]
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