Real people providing business loans to great local companies

Niall took the helm in 2016. His mission is to bring Linked Finance to the next level; making it a leading player in the area of business lending and an attractive asset class for those who want a better return on their money. With a storied past in the worlds of finance and telecommunications, Niall has helped to scale successful businesses all over the world; heading up companies in several Caribbean markets, as well as Panama and El Salvador. His enthusiasm for P2P lending is unmatched and even on the most drizzly Dublin days, he refuses to accept that he misses the sun-kissed, Caribbean beaches in any way, shape or form. He's fooling no one.

Whether it’s launching the Laughter Lounge Comedy Club, running a printing business in London or producing a successful board game based on the Stock Exchange, Peter is passionate about business and believes that every problem has a solution. You just have to be creative enough to find it. He has guided Linked Finance from an idea on a piece of paper to become Ireland's largest P2P Lending platform today. Along the way, Peter has actively invested in and advised other passionate start-up entrepreneurs. Somehow, he’s also managed to stay focused enough to remain unbeaten at Connect 4.

A career number cruncher, Dearan keeps the company finances in order and provides the type of accounting analysis and oversight that a rapidly growing tech company needs to scale at pace. Dearan has more than 18 years experience in finance roles and, before taking on the position of Chief Financial Officer with Linked Finance, he worked with telecoms giants Vodafone and Digicel. Another prize catch that we reeled in from the Caribbean, Dearan previously spent time working in Panama and Trinidad. Now he’s lending his extensive financial experience to our mission of giving Irish businesses a better way to access funding.

Our resident tech guru, Emilio looks after all of the code that keeps the Linked Finance platform purring. Emilio joined Linked Finance in 2016 and he has been driving the technical improvement of the platform ever since. A native of Italy, Emilio achieved a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering at Pisa University. He came to Ireland in 2013 and spent a number of years in senior technology roles for hospitality start-up, HostelBench and sister site, HotelBench. He’s now the brains behind most of the great new features and improved functionality that Linked Finance users enjoy.

Derek leads all of our underwriting and credit approval processes. A seasoned debt and financing specialist with significant Irish and international experience, Derek has worked with KBC, JP Morgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank. After many years in the world of traditional finance, Derek believes P2P lending has the power to disrupt old models and transform the way money moves between borrowers and lenders. So now, he’s bringing all of his experience to bear for the benefit of Linked Finance lenders, working to ensure that we maintain the high calibre of borrower that our users have come to expect.

A vastly experienced sales professional, Adam is responsible for our business development and account management functions. With invaluable experience in another hyper-growth tech start-up, LivingSocial, Adam knows what it takes to help tech companies grow quickly. His extensive B2B experience means that he understands the challenges that Irish SMEs face in securing fast, fair and affordable finance. He instills that understanding in his team and makes sure that from application to drawdown, our business borrowers get a friendly, hassle-free approach that you just won’t find with a typical business loan.

Alan heads up our marketing function. He's charged with spreading the word about Linked Finance and ensuring that we keep users up-to-date with what's going on at Ireland's leading P2P lending platform. Alan is tasked with bringing the good news about Linked Finance to business owners and potential lenders across the country. An award-winning marketer, Alan has broad experience across all aspects of marketing. Which is just as well, because telling our exciting story requires Alan to work right across the marketing mix. According to Alan, it’s a great job - “Telling people that you can give them money to help grow their business certainly isn’t a bad way to spend the day.”

Tom has spent his career working within the SME sector. He launched Groupon in Ireland, as part of the original 3-man team. It gave him a passion for business development and a keen understanding of how important the right types of partnership are in quickly scaling a new technology. Following several years with the daily deal giant, Tom was Country Manager for mobile payment company Sumup, followed by a consulting spell with Finnish bank Holvi. Now, he's got world domination in his sights for Linked Finance. With a collaborative approach and a flair for building mutually beneficial relationships, Tom is responsible for developing the type of strategic partnerships that an innovative platform like Linked Finance needs to grow quickly.

Linked Finance’s longest serving employee joined the team in early 2014. With a background in marketing promotions, customer service and sales, Bernadette arrived on the company’s doorstep full of energy and ideas. She has helped to launch new campaigns, new online platforms and helped to create an internal control structure for the company, as well as ensuring the smooth day to day running of the office. Bernadette acts as the 'Voice of the Lenders', provides support to our ever growing team and aims to keep Linked Finance an amazing place to work: one office 'Burrito Day' at a time.