MarketInvoice hires first female chief technology officer
MARKETINVOICE has named what is believed to be one of the fintech sector’s first female chief technology officers.
Rija Javed has joined the peer-to-peer business loans and invoice finance platform from Silicon Valley startup Wealthfront, with her appointment secured by a specialist technology visa to work in the UK.
“Having Rija on board underlines our focus on hiring the best talent and building innovative technology to deliver business finance solutions – it’s the foundation we’ll use to help thousands of business access funding quickly and easily,” Anil Stocker, chief executive of MarketInvoice, said.
“As we scale our technology and team, Rija’s experience and insights from Silicon Valley will be instrumental. We have ambitious growth plans for the years ahead and Rija will play a significant role in making it happen.”
Javed (pictured) began her engineering career in Canada with roles at IBM and Research in Motion before moving to Silicon Valley in 2012.
She will be responsible for the engineering, data science, product and design teams.
“Moving to London was a big step but I’m excited by the opportunity offered by London’s growing tech scene and in particular by MarketInvoice,” she said.
“My main reason for joining MarketInvoice was the challenge and growth it offers as well as its great people and culture.
“Technology empowers and MarketInvoice is certainly empowering business to grow, create jobs and support local economies and communities.
“I look forward to contributing my experiences and helping make the business and its people successful.”
Read more: MarketInvoice secures £100m of institutional funding for larger invoice finance deals
Javed was hired using the exceptional talent visa, run by Tech Nation for the Home Office, that helps firms secure staff with particular skills from aboard.
“Such schemes will ensure the UK continues to attract exceptional foreign individuals who want to build their careers in the UK,” Stocker added.
“If London is to continue being the European hub for tech, and if it is to grow to rival other internationally significant tech centres, we must ensure the UK retains a welcoming eco-system for EU and non-EU nationals alike.”
Eileen Burbidge, chair of Tech Nation, said she hoped more exceptional women and men with talent and promise will use this scheme to take up tech careers here in the UK.
“The UK tech sector is one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries, boosting productivity and creating hundreds of thousands of quality, high-skilled jobs. Initiatives like the Tech Nation Exceptional Talent & Promise Visa ensure that we have the best people from around the world as part of and adding to this flourishing tech sector,” she said.
Read more: MarketInvoice joins NatWest’s SME finance panel
Read more: MarketInvoice hits £2bn lending milestone
