Joanna Karger will take up the post of US head of capital markets, while Richard Stephenson has been appointed US chief compliance officer.

Joanna – who has 30 years of experience in capital markets – joins from Renew Finance, where she served as executive vice-president and chief financial officer.

Joanna started her career at the US Treasury before she joined Allianz (formerly Dresdner RCM), where she specialised in structured credit and fixed income products.

Richard has more than 30 years of experience in various senior roles at US financial companies and law firms, serving as general counsel, chief compliance officer, chief risk officer, head of internal audit and interim chief executive officer at institutions such as Bank of America and Union Bank.

Prior to his arrival at Funding Circle, Richard served as chief compliance officer of Silicon Valley Bank.

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“Joanna and Richard have deep experience in building and scaling robust financial services businesses, and we are thrilled they will be playing integral roles in Funding Circle’s continued growth in the US market,” said Sam Hodges, co-founder and US managing director at Funding Circle

“With their leadership, we will continue to invest heavily in compliance and operational controls, and focus on further diversifying the capital streams flowing into our growing marketplace.”

Joanna (pictured above) said: “Funding Circle provides an opportunity for individual and institutional investors to share in the success of America’s small businesses.

“I look forward to bringing this unique asset class to an even broader range of investors as we continue to diversify our capital base and build a strong, sustainable and transparent marketplace.”

Richard (pictured above) added: “A thoughtful approach to legal, regulatory and compliance is one of the important factors that sets Funding Circle apart in the industry.

“As the world’s leading lending platform for business financing, I’m thrilled to join Funding Circle to help drive the company’s responsible growth in the US market and further its mission to build a better financial world.”