Napier AI appoints Kenneth Paqvalén as CFO
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With over 20 years of experience, Paqvalén joins following the acquisition by Marlin Equity Partners (Marlin) to help lay the financial foundations for future global expansion and growth. He brings a strong track record of embedding systems and processes to enable scaling and has successfully led companies through significant growth journeys including a unicorn scale-up.
Paqvalén joins Napier AI with decades of industry experience including Nokia and MariaDB, as well as 3 years at Matillion as CFO, during which he helped grow the business from $150m to a $1.5bn company.
In his role, Paqvalén's priority will build on Napier AI's existing technological infrastructure, using the existing systems and processes in place to scale effectively. He will support continued investment into Napier AI's platform, ensuring Napier AI Continuum evolves to meet growing demand.
Paqvalén will oversee continued expansion across the US and APAC, increasing the company's presence in these markets and expanding its global team to acquire and train the best regional talent to provide on-the-ground support for customers.
Kenneth Paqvalén, Chief Financial Officer of Napier AI, commented: 'What drew me to Napier AI was the opportunity to contribute to something that has real ethical weight. Financial crime is a complex and ever-evolving challenge and being able to play even a small part in tackling it feels genuinely meaningful. It's an exciting time to be joining the company and I'm very much looking forward to what's ahead.
For companies like Napier AI, while the sophistication of criminals in their use of AI continues to become more innovative, this rapidly evolving issue provides huge opportunity for businesses to address demand and make significant strides to preventing financial crime.'
Napier's recent acquisition by Marlin marks an exciting new chapter for the business, bringing the backing of a deep-pocketed and operationally experienced investor.
Marlin's collaborative approach and long-term commitment will support Napier AI in scaling its platform and continuing to invest in product development and customer service.
Greg Watson, CEO of Napier AI, said: 'We are thrilled to welcome Kenneth on board as our new CFO at such a pivotal moment in Napier's journey. His expertise will be key as we continue to scale operations, strengthen our financial foundations and continue investing in the evolution of our platform. With global expansion already underway, his leadership will ensure we continue to grow in a sustainable and strategic way and his deep financial acumen will undoubtedly make him an invaluable addition to our leadership team as we navigate this next stage of growth.'
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