Kensington Mortgages hires chief operating officer

Foulsham (pictured) has worked with fintech start-ups and as group chief information officer of personal lines.

Kensington Mortgages hires chief operating officer

Kensington Mortgages has appointed technology expert Mark Foulsham as its chief operating officer who will start on 3 June.

Foulsham (pictured) has worked with fintech start-ups and as group chief information officer of personal lines. He has experience leading technology projects to create new products and drive sales, as well as business transformation programmes to increase productivity and efficiency.

Mark Arnold, chief executive of Kensington Mortgages, said:“Our industry is changing at a rapid pace, with technology changing the way that consumers think about every aspect of their finances.

“Our approach is to marry the power of big data, with the common sense of a human underwriter to offer mortgages to those who don’t tick the right boxes at the big banks. Mark is the perfect hire to allow us to take our digital innovation to the next level.”

Foulsham added: “Kensington is a true digital innovator, demonstrating what you can do when you combine exceptional data insight and the best technology with a deep understanding of traditional lending.

“I have been incredibly impressed by the Kensington team, the open culture of the company and the focus on customer needs. There are huge opportunities for us as we look ahead to what will be a period of further digital disruption in the way that both customers and brokers interact with lenders.”

In previous roles, Foulsham has had responsibility for functions ranging from customer services to financial crime prevention.

He served as group chief innovation officer of esure until 2016, having joined the business in 2004 ashead of IT.

He led an extensive set of teams from operations, customer services and IT as well as multiple digital transformation projects, including an overhaul of the company’s legacy systems and processes, its claims platform and pioneered the use of mobile technology within the industry.

Since 2016 his start-up keyenable.com has advised multiple digital disruptors, and more traditional businesses, on issues ranging from data strategies, cyber-security to tech transformation.

He has also served as chief executive of Surrey Innovations, the commercial wing for the centre for digital enterprise at the University of Surrey – leading projects for clients including EDF, Ford, Prudential and Wincanton.

Foulsham started his career as IT manager at Atkins Consultants, before moving to South East Water, SAUR UK, Macquarie Bank and acting as a non-executive director for cloud hosting businesses Cobweb.