Pay.UK appoints two new Independent Non-Executive Directors to its Board
Pay.UK has appointed Helen Crooks and Ajay Vij to its Board of Directors.
Helen Crooks is an experienced data and digital leader, with experience across multiple industries, including financial services, retail and regulatory environments. Her previous roles include Chief Data Officer at Ofgem and executive roles at Tesco and Virgin Media and she featured in the DataIQ100 power Titan list from 2017-2020, being recognised with the DataIQ life-time achievement award in 2022. She brings a strong strategic approach to data and technology alongside extensive experience of Government and Parliamentary processes.
Helen said: “I am delighted to be joining Pay.UK at this exciting stage in its development. My experience defining data and analytical strategy will be invaluable in helping to support Pay.UK meet the opportunities and challenges for retail and payment data.”
Helen also Chairs the External Advisory Group for the UK Parliament Digital Transformation Programme and previously chaired the London Market Data Steering Board.
Ajay Vij is currently VP for Strategic Industries for Google Cloud EMEA. He has built his career with technology service integration firms, including at Infosys, IBM Global Business Services and Avanade. Ajay’s experience in digital transformation and scaling global technology services in Financial Services will be key for Pay.UK.
Of his appointment, Ajay said: “I lead the Cloud Customer experience for Strategic Industries business at Google. My broader role is to advise on the implementation and delivery of cloud and data programmes with specific focus on regulated industries.
I am excited to be able to bring my skills and experience to Pay.UK. This organisation is compelling in its remit and role – and the importance of what it does to UK Plc. I am looking forward to playing my part and bringing my extensive knowledge of payments, large scale transformations, and innovation, with the opportunity for wider societal impact.”
Helen’s consumer focus and strategic approach to data, along with Ajay’s focus on transformation and implementation will add further depth and breadth to our Board.
Both Helen and Ajay take up their posts in January 2023.
We also announce that John Mountain will be stepping down as Non-Executive Director from the Pay.UK Board due to the increasing demand on his time since he was appointed COO at Starling Bank.
