Paga appoints Cleverly as new group chief financial officer

Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson 

Paga, Nigeria’s largest mobile money operator on Tuesday announced the appointment of Ian Cleverly as its Group Chief Financial Officer. The hiring of its Group CFO, according to the company, is in line with Paga’s vision to become a leader in mobile payments across emerging markets.

Ian joins Paga with over 20 years of industry experience in senior financial and operational management roles within the following sectors, telecommunications, FMCG, and mobile payments across multiple countries and continents.

Ian began his appointment with Paga in November and is based out of the Paga Group office in London, United Kingdom. Prior to joining Paga, Ian served as CFO and executive director at Maistro Plc, a B2B marketplace for online Procurement Services. Prior to his role at Maistro PLC, he served as CFO of Cable & Wireless Communications in Jamaica and before that was CFO for Hutchison 3G Ireland. Through his various appointments, his experience includes M&A, disposals, divestments, corporate restructuring, business transformation, operationalizing change, legal regulatory & compliance, strategy, supply chain, fundraising and extensive international board level experience.

Ian began his career leading various finance departments at Procter & Gamble. He graduated in the United Kingdom and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACMA). Announcing the appointment, Tayo Oviosu, founder and Group CEO of Paga, said; “We are pleased to welcome Ian to our team. In our search for a Group CFO, we were searching for a candidate who has strong finance and risk management acumen, could partner closely on strategy and fundraising with a focus on people development as we scale globally. Above all, we also wanted someone who aligned with our core values at Paga. I am pleased to say that we have found that person with these qualities in Ian.”

As Group chief financial officer, Ian will be responsible for finance, risk, compliance, and internal audit functions across all countries of operations. Ian will also play a critical role as Paga launches into new markets. Speaking on his appointment Ian Cleverly said: “I am delighted to have joined Paga at an exciting time as the company scales and gathers momentum for its next phase of international expansion. I look forward to playing a key role in its growth and value creation, making it simple for one billion people to access and use money. Paga encompasses smart and passionate people, strong technology and innovation as well as a growing worldwide footprint and I believe my experience will be additive to the team as we implement and execute our growth strategy.”

Paga launched in Nigeria as its first operating market in August 2012. The mobile money operator, which has become the largest distribution network for financial services in Nigeria through its nationwide agent network, is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

SOURCE: BUSINESSDAY