Fintech company Finastra has appointed Chris Walters as chief executive officer (CEO), taking over from Simon Paris, who is stepping down from the role.

Walters joins from online education company Pluralsight, where he spent five months as CEO. Prior to this, he spent over 15 years serving as chief executive of various companies, including The Weather Company, Avantax and Encompass Digital Media.

Finastra says in a release that Walters brings a wealth of experience from senior executive leadership positions, driving innovation and scaling technology companies.

He will split his time between Atlanta and London.

“I’m excited to join Finastra at this pivotal moment in its journey and am impressed by the significant progress that has been made during Simon’s leadership,” Walters says of his appointment. “I look forward to working with the talented team to drive sustainable growth and continue to deliver more value to our customers, team members, and investors.”

Paris departs Finastra after almost a decade, having spent the last six and a half years as CEO. He will join software-as-a-service company Unit4 as CEO in February.

Paris also steps down as chair of the trade advocacy group the World Trade Board, where he oversaw projects including the development of a framework in 2023 to increase access to trade finance for micro, small and medium enterprises. He will be replaced by Andrew Bateman, Finastra’s executive vice-president of lending.

“This journey with Finastra has been a privilege. Chris is a seasoned professional, and I am honoured to ‘pass the baton’ to him,” Paris says. “I leave incredibly proud of what Finastra has achieved so far and excited for the company’s future under Chris’s leadership.”

Finastra says the pair will work closely during the transition period to “ensure a smooth handover”.

Finastra was formed in 2017 by a merger of two software companies, Misys and D+H after D+H was bought by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.