Fair4All Finance announce new CEO
After a process that saw over 100 applications for the role, we are delighted to announce Kate Pender as our new CEO.
Kate has been working with Fair4All Finance since we were formed in 2019, leading our work on growing the resilience and capability of community finance lenders. Most recently, Kate has been leading the £40m development, delivery and testing of new propositions that support customers in financially vulnerable circumstances, including our No Interest Loan Scheme and consolidation lending pilots.
Prior to her time at Fair4All Finance, Kate has twenty years of experience in economic development and on support to accelerate the growth of small businesses.
After a short period of transition, Kate will be stepping up from her current role as Deputy CEO in September as our current CEO Sacha Romanovitch steps down.
Kate Pender said:
‘I’m absolutely thrilled to become CEO of Fair4All Finance in September and I’m looking forward to continuing our work to tackle financial exclusion across the country, a cause that I’m very passionate about.
I’d like to thank Sacha for her leadership and support, and for the tremendous work she has done to drive financial inclusion forward in her time at Fair4All Finance. She leaves us in a great position to harness the will and skill of the many organisations we work with who can make a difference.
Collaboration is key to all of our work, and I look forward to continuing to work with all of our stakeholders as we build financial inclusion together and keep making a difference to the lives of millions of people.’
Richard Collier-Keywood, Chair, Fair4All Finance said:
‘I’m delighted to welcome Kate as our new CEO and look forward to working with her and the team as we continue our fight against financial exclusion.
‘We had over 100 applications for the role and it’s a testament to the work of the team to see the calibre of people we were able to attract. Kate demonstrated a wealth of the qualities needed for this next phase of our work and the Board unanimously agreed to offer her the role.
‘The Board would like to re-iterate our thanks to Sacha for her hard work and everything she has brought to Fair4All Finance and the wider sector. She has made an invaluable contribution to the organisation and huge difference in driving financial inclusion as a cause. We wish her well for the future.’
Sacha Romanovitch OBE said:
‘Financial inclusion is an important cause and I’m delighted that Kate will be taking over the reins at Fair4All Finance. It’s great to have someone with such passion, energy and breadth of capability taking the us into the next phase.
‘Leading this organisation and getting to work with so many incredible people across the landscape has been a real privilege. It gives me great heart that there are a wealth of people committed to making a difference to those that need it most and I look forward to playing my part in a different way as the future unfolds.’
During this short period of transition we remain focused on our three key priorities:
- Increasing availability of affordable credit provision to sustainably meet customer needs
- Partnering with banks and financial services to increase access to financial products and services
- Developing the market to consistently provide products that meet the needs of customers