GEORGINA LORD

CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER

Georgina is responsible for the customer strategy for the business, heading up the sales and customer service functions.

“My aim for Verastar is to ensure our customer contact strategy is as simple and effective as possible. That means we contact customers in the right way at the right time, and when they want to contact us they can do so in the way they want. Our customers are busy running their businesses, so it’s our job to be straightforward to contact when they need us.”

Georgina joined Verastar in 2021, attracted by the ambition and scope of the business. She brings significant leadership experience and telecoms expertise, having formerly held the position of Managing Director at internet service provider Zen Internet and senior roles within Virgin Media Business and Intercity Technology.

When she’s not building high-performing teams and delivering fantastic results at work, Georgina enjoys long walks with her dogs in the Cheshire countryside.

JON PERKINS

CHIEF PRODUCT AND STRATEGY OFFICER

Jon leads Verastar across product development, data, marketing and brand, alongside a focus on developing M&A activity, partnerships and new business opportunities.

“My aim for Verastar is to demonstrate to small businesses that they don’t have to settle for the traditional suppliers and accept the status quo. There’s a better option.”

Jon has significant experience across a number of Verastar’s product verticals, having held senior roles within the consumer and wholesale divisions at TalkTalk and most recently as Strategy director at the independent ISP Zen Internet. He previously worked at EE as part of the original joint venture between Orange & T-Mobile in the consumer mobile division and was a part of the EE brand launch. He qualified as an accountant during his time with E.ON UK where he was a finance business partner in the retail SME division.

Passionate about optimising the use of data to drive better business decisions, Jon is responsible for developing Verastar’s product portfolio and for bringing our wide-ranging offering into a single go-to-market proposition that makes perfect sense for our customers.

Away from work Jon is kept busy with four young children and the family enjoy UK holidays in Cornwall and the Lakes. When a creaking body allows, Jon is a keen distance runner and road cyclist around the Derbyshire and Staffordshire area.

HELEN BUSH

INSURANCE DIRECTOR

Helen is responsible for delivering the overall vision and strategy for insurance within Verastar, driving continued growth at our insurance brand, The Insurance Octopus.

“My aim for The Insurance Octopus is to continue to deliver a truly personalised service to our customers by offering tailored insurance policies.”

“As a business our goal is to take the complexity out of insurance and make it simple and straightforward to our customers, and our team does exactly that. I am passionate about creating a work environment that allows my team to feel happy, fulfilled and motivated in their careers, which in turn contributes significantly to maintaining our exceptional customer service.”

Helen joined The Insurance Octopus in 2009 and has built an extensive career through working with multiple departments and has had an influence over all aspects of the business. Over the last 11 years, Helen has been instrumental in the business’s success and has helped to grow The Insurance Octopus from a start-up, to now an established commercial insurance broker with 35,000 customers and an established panel of UK insurers.

Outside of the office, Helen enjoys family life with her husband and two young children. She loves to spend as much time as possible with family and friends, with great food and travelling to new places.

PETE FINCH

VERBAL SALES DIRECTOR

Pete is responsible for cross-sell activity across all Verastar brands as well as managing the new-business side of the Water product.

“My aim is to help our customers save both time and money by consolidating more essential services onto one bill, and ensuring they receive fantastic customer service.”

Pete joined Verastar in February 2020, having managed in contact centres for 14 years. He has previously worked for corporate organisations including TalkTalk and most recently Barclays. Most of Pete’s career development came whilst working in the outsourcing industry for eight years, where he progressed from Team Leader to the roles of Site Director and Operations Director. During this time Pete managed all aspects of a contact centre.

Pete is very happily married and has two young children who keep him very busy. He is happiest when he has time to exercise and relax with the family.

DANIEL WALMSLEY

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Dan is responsible for communicating the value of Verastar’s different brands, helping customers understand and make the most of our range of products and services.

“My aim is to acquire, grow and retain customers and partners by promoting our services and products, through focused targeted marketing activities delivered via innovative and relevant platforms.”

Dan joined Verastar early in 2020 and has 20 years’ experience working in FTSE 50 and FTSE 250 organisations across a variety of sectors. He is responsible for all through-the-line marketing activities and has a track record of building highly successful marketing teams and developing individuals.

With a passion for understanding more about our customers and the customer journey, Dan continually evaluates the market to ensure we provide services and information that support our customers’ growth.

Alongside marketing and his wife, Sharon, Dan’s two passions in life are golf and snowboarding. In the winter he can be found on snowy peaks throughout Europe, and in the summer can be found hacking his way around Sale golf course!

RACHEL BEARDSMORE

RETENTIONS & COLLECTIONS DIRECTOR

Rachel is responsible for the Retentions and Collections department at Verastar.

“My aim is to continue to support our growth strategy by working with colleagues to drive value through great customer interactions and outcomes. We aim to ensure customers stay with us and that we provide them with the right level of support and service to help manage their invoices.”

After a decade working for British Gas in Collections & leading MI teams, Rachel left in 2010 to head up Virgin Media Business’s Collections and Credit Risk team. In 2015 she moved into Fintech where she led the Global Collections function for Worldpay (now FIS). While at Worldpay she completed a master’s degree in Leadership & International Payments, awarded by Middlesex University.

Rachel has two children in their teens, a husband and a dog who keep her extremely busy. She loves going to the gym with her family and, with a rugby player and a rugby coach in the family, they spend a lot of their free time watching rugby and supporting their local club.

JO DOGHERTY

HR DIRECTOR

Jo is responsible for the people agenda for Verastar which includes HR, Recruitment, Facilities and Training.

“My aim for the business is to build and implement a really engaging colleague agenda that gives people a career rather than just a job. We strive to give people from all backgrounds options and choices for their lives, and to add value wherever we can. Essentially, we want everyone, from all works of life, to be their best.”

Wanting to be part of a dynamic growing company, Jo joined Verastar in August 2016 looking to drive real change which would develop our workforce. Since then, she is proud to have been part of the gender pay gap review, the introduction of pay progression which links rewards to development and the graduate scheme investing in young talent.

Jo graduated with a degree in History and Psychology and a Masters in Human Resource Management. Starting out as a Hotel Receptionist, Jo worked her way up and has held various HR roles in companies across many sectors including financial services, legal, travel and facilities services.

Jo’s home-life with her husband and 4-year old daughter is busy and fulfilling, with organisation being key. She is a keen runner and completes half-marathons on a regular basis.

PAUL DOHERTY

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Paul is responsible for the finance across the Verastar Group

“By continuing to support growth and product expansion, my aim for Verastar is to continue our journey in becoming the provider of choice for essential business services. Our goal is to make the lives of business owners as easy as possible with our multi-service offering, on a unique one-bill solution.”

Paul, a KPMG Chartered Accountant, joined Verastar in 2011, shortly after the Management Buyout. Since then, he has assisted in driving the growth of our product portfolio alongside the company’s revenue and profitability.

A graduate of the University of Leicester, Paul spent 10 years working in a variety of roles in consumer healthcare at SSL International before it was sold for £2.5 billion. Paul then went on to the role of interim CFO before joining the Verastar team.

Paul’s claim to fame is that his dad played for Manchester United (that he happens to support) and was a Busby Babe. He is happily married with three lovely children.

PIOTR NOWOSAD

DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Piotr is responsible for helping the company grow, both in the core business and in new directions.

“My aim for Verastar is to build the ‘go to’ provider for small businesses to get all the support they need so they can focus on their own goals. The way we’ll do this is to create a truly great company in reputation, values, business results and contribution to society.”

Piotr saw joining Verastar in 2013 as an exciting opportunity to help grow a business which was unique in its potential to help SMEs. Since joining, Piotr has helped the business develop both in sheer size and number of customers but also in the level of our internal capabilities and customer propositions. As part of this growth, Piotr and the team have been responsible for completing and integrating 12 acquisitions. Team members across Verastar worked together to welcome and integrate these new customers into the Verastar family.

Piotr has a B.Eng (Electrical Engineering) and started his working career as a Chartered Engineer. He has worked in a number of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and in the US. Piotr was also a co-founder of Amnesty International South Africa and member of its National Executive Committee.

After moving to the UK, Piotr completed an MBA with distinction at London Business School and worked for McKinsey & Company as a consultant specializing in operations, strategy and people management. Later, Piotr was a Managing Director at Alegro Capital, an M&A boutique, and chairman of BlueBella, an award-winning lingerie and nightwear company.

Piotr loves the outdoors, especially mountains and loves a challenge – as shown by his nascent collection of triathlon medals. He continues to have a strong interest in human rights in developing countries, when not spending time with his lovely wife and 2 just as lovely children.