Our Board

Stuart Sinclair – Independent non-executive Chair and Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee

Stuart joined the Board in March 2020, following an extensive career in retail banking, insurance and consumer finance, with roles including CEO at GE Capital and at Tesco Personal Finance and as a director of UK Retail Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc.

Stuart is also currently a non-executive director and chair of Willis Ltd, a subsidiary of Willis Towers Watson plc. His prior appointments include non-executive director roles at QBE Insurance (Europe) Ltd, Provident Financial Group plc, Swinton Group Ltd, PruHealth/Vitality Ltd and Universal Insurance Inc. He was also previously a non-executive director and chair of the remuneration committee for Lloyds Banking Group plc.

Stuart is also a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Gerard Ryan – Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

Gerard joined the Board in January 2012 and, as CEO, is responsible for the design and implementation of all aspects of IPF Group strategy, for day-to-day operational management of the business and leading the senior management team.

Gerard has over 30 years of multi-country experience in consumer financial services, with previous roles held including CEO for Citigroup’s consumer finance businesses in EMEA, director of Citi International plc, Egg plc and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney UK, CFO of Garanti Bank, Turkey and CEO of GE Money Bank, Prague.

Gerard is Chair of the Disclosure Committee.

Gary Thompson – Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer

Gary joined the Board in April 2022 and, as CFO, is responsible for the financial performance of the IPF Group.

Gary has wide-ranging financial and sector-specific experience from his previous roles as Finance Director at Vanquis Bank Limited and as Director of Group Finance and Investor Relations at Provident Financial Group plc. Prior to this, Gary qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent over 10 years in professional practice at PwC.

Gary is the lead Board member on climate-related matters and is also a member of the Disclosure Committee.

Katrina Cliffe – Senior Independent non-executive director and Board Workforce Engagement lead

Katrina was appointed to the Board in August 2022 with broad knowledge of retail financial services and a particular focus on product development, sales and operations.

Katrina is currently a non-executive director of DCC plc and Vue International. She has previously held senior executive roles in a number of financial institutions, including American Express, Lloyds TSB and MBNA International. She was until recently Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at HomeServe plc and was also previously a non-executive director of London and Country Mortgages Limited and Naked Wines plc.

Katrina is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Deborah Davis – Independent non-executive director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee

Deborah joined the Board in October 2018, with broad knowledge and experience gained from her 25 years in executive roles in financial technology, consumer and other technology businesses undergoing digital transformation, growth and geographic expansion.

Deborah’s current external appointments include non-executive director roles at Lloyds Banking Group/Scottish Widows Insurance Board, and non-executive Chair of Diacetics PLC. Deborah is also a Chartered Director and a non-executive director of The Institute of Directors in the UK. Previous executive positions include PayPal and eBay.

Deborah is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee.

Richard Holmes – Independent non-executive director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee

Richard was appointed to the Board in March 2020 and has over 40 years of broad international financial services experience, including 20 years as CEO and board member in private banking, wholesale banking, capital markets, trading operations, strategy and finance roles.

Richard is currently a senior advisor to Revolut UK Ltd and non-executive director at Itau BBA International PLC. Prior appointments include senior board positions held at Ulster Bank DAC Ltd (and membership of the audit, risk and sustainability committees), the British Bankers Association and as Chair of the CBI’s Financial Services Council. Previous executive positions held include CEO for Standard Chartered plc (Europe and the Americas).

Richard is also a member of the Remuneration Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee.

Aileen Wallace – Independent non-executive director

Aileen was appointed to the Board in December 2022, with extensive experience of financial services and transformational leadership including both business build-out and digitally enabled growth.

Aileen’s current external appointments include non-executive director roles at Hodge Group and Hodge Bank, where she chairs the Innovation and the Remuneration Committees, and Target Group Ltd, where she chairs the Group Risk Committee. Aileen has previously held executive positions at the Co-operative Bank, Yorkshire Bank Home Loans, the Clydesdale Bank and the National Australia Bank.

Aileen is a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee.