Digital
banking platform FINOM has named two new executives to its leadership team as
part of its European operations development. The Amsterdam-headquartered
company appointed Kristjan Kaar as Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Elke
Karskens as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
FINOM Announces Executive
Team Changes for European Operations
Kaar joins
FINOM from OakNorth Bank, where he oversaw product development initiatives. His
department achieved notable customer satisfaction metrics, according to company
statements. In the past, he also worked for more than seven years at Bloomberg,
most recently as Head of Funds and Portfolios.
“FINOM’s
momentum in European SME banking presents an exciting opportunity to
revolutionize how entrepreneurs manage their finances,” said Kaar.
“We are focused on creating intuitive products that become indispensable
to our customers, enhancing our positive impact on European small
businesses.”
Karskens
brings experience from previous positions at Coinbase and Meta, where she
worked on platform scaling and market development. Her background includes
various marketing leadership roles spanning two decades in the technology
sector.
She was
with Coinbase for three years, including serving as Country Director for the
Benelux and Nordics regions. However, she spent the most time at the company
behind Facebook, where she held the role of Director of Partnerships for the
past five years. Her experience also includes working at Skype as a Platform
Marketing Manager.
“FINOM’s
mission goes beyond providing financial services – we’re empowering
entrepreneurs to focus on growing their businesses while we simplify their
financial operations,” said Karskens. “By combining deep customer
insights with innovative marketing strategies, we’ll strengthen FINOM’s
position as a trusted partner for small businesses across Europe.
The
appointments follow FINOM’s
€50 million Series B funding round and coincide with the company’s reported
growth to 100,000 customers across five European markets. These developments
occur as various financial technology firms continue to expand their services
in the European SME
banking sector.
Organizational Context
The new
appointments are part of broader organizational changes at FINOM during 2024.
The company has made several other management additions, including Alessandro
Camilotti as Chief Financial Officer and Rob
Allen, former Revolut executive, as Head of Sales. The board of directors
has also seen new appointments, including Kseniia Kutyreva, Peter De Caluwe,
and Frank Stockx.
“As
FINOM continues its growth, strengthening our executive team with world-class
talent is crucial,” said Andrey Petrov, CEO and co-founder of FINOM.
“Elke and Kristjan’s exceptional expertise and leadership will be
instrumental in accelerating our product development and market expansion to
serve one million European SMEs by 2026.”
FINOM,
which operates as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI), has implemented
various operational changes throughout 2024, including the introduction of
local IBAN services in several European markets. The company’s platform
provides business account services, payment processing, invoicing systems, and
expense management tools.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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