Seccl appoints Jonathan Dees as its new UK CEO, as David Ferguson transitions to executive chair
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The news comes three months after the business announced its search for a successor to David Ferguson, who will move into a new and growth-focused executive chair role.
Jonathan has been acting as interim MD at Seccl since June, supporting the business in its day-to-day management while David moves to focus on the business's longer-term strategic opportunities and planned European expansion. He previously worked on secondment for Seccl for several months in 2024, supporting on the growth of its operations function.
He joins from Octopus Investments, where he has acted as COO for the last six years. Before that, he held a series of senior operating roles at fast-growing technology companies - including COO for Zoopla's software business and MD for TripAdvisor's vacation rentals platform business.
Commenting on the appointment, David Ferguson, outgoing CEO and new executive chair, said:
"After an extensive search for our next UK CEO, which brought a large volume of exceptional external candidates, we decided the right person for the role was much closer to home. The truth is that, throughout his time with us, Jonathan has proven himself to be the standout candidate to take us forward.
'We've been looking for a leader with strong operational focus - someone who ensures we deliver for our customers day in and day out. No-one fits that brief better than Jonathan - and it's a natural evolution of his existing interim MD role, through which he has already brought renewed focus, clarity and consistency to our delivery. He's an outstanding leader, a wonderful human and someone who is 100% aligned with our values. I can't wait to work with him full time, while I focus on our future strategy and growth.'
Jonathan Dees, Seccl's new UK CEO, added:
'I'm thrilled to be stepping in at such an exciting point in Seccl's growth journey. With some significant recent milestones and momentum building day by day, the business is truly starting to accelerate. I look forward to leading Seccl's fantastic team to safely scale new heights - freeing up Dave to unlock the enormous opportunities that lie ahead.'
'One of the great things about a career at Octopus is the chance to work alongside such an inspiring community of businesses. Having admired Seccl's growth from the sidelines, I feel both grateful and honoured to now play a direct role in shaping its next chapter.'
Today, Seccl's software and services power the portfolios of over 300,000 investors, with nearly 60,000 new investors onboarded since January alone. The company continues to scale rapidly, processing an impressive 2 million transactions in June.
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