Our Leadership Team
Mark Catton - Group Chief Executive Officer
Mark Catton joined the company in January 2018, brought in by private equity owner Cabot Square Capital to drive investment in the platform and expand its reach in providing finance to UK SMEs. Mark brought a wealth of experience to the business, having previously served as the CEO of RBS Corporate Banking and holding leadership roles at Barclays in both the UK and Europe.
He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Direct Line Group Plc during its IPO. With 30 years in financial services, primarily in corporate and SME finance, Mark has played pivotal roles in building and growing successful businesses.
Alex Pooley - Group Chief Operations Officer
With two decades of experience spanning portfolio, programme and finance roles within GE Capital, Aldermore and several high-growth SMEs backed by private equity, Alex Pooley brings extensive experience in evolving and scaling businesses.
Alex is deeply committed to leading teams through customer-focused change.
Anne Williams - Executive Director
With over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector, Anne Williams has excelled in building and managing business operations for prominent national and global organisations. Her tenure at GE Capital saw her take on senior leadership roles in the UK and Europe while earning certification as a GE Quality Leader.
Anne is deeply passionate about forming successful teams and nurturing individuals to reach their highest potential, all while delivering top-tier customer experiences.
Gavin Dowding - Director of Digital and Product
Gavin Dowding possesses over 16 years of experience in IT, Business Intelligence, Data, and Operational Leadership roles within the Financial Services and Utilities sectors.
Gavin's achievements include building technology teams to support large-scale business transformation and growth. Gavin is passionate about people, innovation and technology.
Jon Maycock - Commercial Director
Jon Maycock has over two decades of experience in the SME lending market, encompassing various commercial and leadership roles.
He has a proven track record of scaling asset finance businesses through direct, intermediary and vendor channels.
Jon is passionate about achieving outstanding results for customers by leveraging exceptional people and cutting-edge technologies.
Sean Welsh - Interim Chief Financial Officer
Sean has 20 years’ experience in financial services, with senior leadership roles across major UK Banks and financial institutions. Prior to joining the business, Sean held senior roles at Bibby Financial Services, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and RBS, where he led finance teams across international markets and partnered closely with CEOs and Boards to deliver strategic change and improved financial performance.
His expertise spans FP&A, treasury, capital and accounting, and he has a strong track record of supporting growth, transformation, and M&A activity.
He has extensive experience operating at executive and board level, building and leading finance teams, delivering funding solutions, and strategic planning within complex, regulated businesses.
Claire Van Humbeeck - Chief Credit Officer
Claire joined Propel in May 2025 after having undertaken more than 20 years in senior credit and risk roles at Lloyds Banking Group and ExxonMobil.
She is here to help drive business growth in a safe and sustainable way. Having held a £20m underwriting authority, managing credit risk for a portfolio of £26bn limits with 76k SME Customers at LBG, her focus is on driving a conservative and balanced credit risk culture across Propel by encouraging teams to make the right decisions for the business and its customers, as fast, efficiently and effectively as possible.
She is passionate about building teams with the right expertise and skillset to support the growth ambition.
Peter Collins - Director Embedded Finance
Peter joined Propel in September 2025 and has over 20 years' experience within financial services, holding various executive roles across Credit, Commercial and Product.
He has built and scaled two OEM captives within both the B2B & D2C space.
Innovative by nature, he is passionate about building market first products and services, collaborating with multiple teams.
Faye Armitage - Partnership Director
With 20 years of experience at Lloyds Banking Group and TSB, Faye Armitage has managed large retail teams, a national HR team, and played a crucial role in building a new national Commercial Banking function.
Faye has consistently led high-performing teams to deliver excellent results across diverse objectives.
Julie Warren - Marketing Director
Julie Warren holds over 25 years of experience in senior sales and marketing roles within organisations such as Barclays, Aldermore and new fintech startups.
Her expertise spans a wide range of areas including Brand, PR, digital, partnerships, lead generation and social.
Julie has a proven track record of building first-class marketing functions with a strong focus on integrated sales and marketing outputs.
Jen Bodey - Compliance & Conduct Risk Director, MLRO
With over 20 years of experience in compliance and risk management, Jen has developed a deep expertise in both regulation and asset leasing sectors. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to customer-driven compliance solutions, ensuring that these solutions not only meet regulatory requirements but also drive business improvements and growth.
As Compliance & Conduct Risk Director, Jen is dedicated to ensuring a culture of compliance throughout the organisation, with a focus on delivering optimal outcomes for customers, colleagues, and shareholders alike. Her leadership and strategic approach is important in advancing the business’s success while maintaining the highest standards of risk management and ethical conduct.
Catrin Nation - Head of Legal
Catrin Nation assumed the role of Head of Legal at Propel in January 2019, establishing Propel's first in-house legal function.
Catrin bears the responsibility of ensuring that all Propel's products and services adhere to both the letter and spirit of its legal obligations. Catrin boasts over 20 years of experience as a legal advisor, having worked both in private practice and in-house.
Catrin collaborates closely with all of Propel's teams, believing that the best legal advice comes from knowing a business 'inside and out'.