MotoNovo strengthens Senior Leadership Team with three senior appointments

MotoNovo Finance (MNF) has announced the expansion of its Senior Leadership Team with three senior external appointments – Leanne Christmas who joins as Conduct and Business Risk Director; Alice Sweet who becomes Product and Proposition Director; and James Gearey who has been appointed as Interim Commercial and Performance Director.

The new additions will report to Managing Director, Richard Jones, as he continues to reshape the business he joined in February. They will each play a crucial role in developing and delivering MNF’s new strategy and leading the business into the future. The three roles have all been newly created and will complement Richard’s existing Senior Leadership Team.

Leanne Christmas who has been appointed as Conduct and Business Risk Director Motor, joins the business from BMW Financial Services and Alphabet, where she has spent seven years as Chief Compliance Officer, and more recently, she was responsible for the Controlling and Treasury function. Leanne trained at Deloitte as a chartered accountant and previously held several global risk and governance roles within the Barclays Bank group.

 Alice Sweet's appointment as Product and Proposition Director sees her join MotoNovo following a career that has seen her hold senior roles in Lloyds Banking Group, where she worked across Retail and Business Banking, and most recently, the Royal London Group, where she was responsible for shaping the business strategy and building the proposition roadmap for Royal London's Consumer Division. Most recently, she led Royal London's UK Life Insurance business.

James Gearey joins as Interim Commercial and Performance Director. His initial focus will be on developing the business strategy. James brings an extensive track record that includes senior leadership roles at Siemens Financial Services and Aviva across insurance, commercial and asset-based finance. He joins MotoNovo from Covea Insurance, where he was Managing Director for Personal Lines and Protection.

Commenting on the appointments, Richard said:

"I am delighted to welcome three new members to my Executive team, who bring considerable capability and expertise to help drive our business forward.

“These are exciting times for MotoNovo Finance as we embrace an era of unprecedented change in the motor industry and I am confident we now have the right team in place to help our business embrace the challenges and opportunities that present themselves.”

Press release issued by MotoNovo Finance, July 2023