Supply chain finance (SCF) platform Finverity has hired Symmie Swil as head of operations as it continues its bid to widen companies’ access to financing.

A former executive at Investec and Starling Bank, Swil is responsible for building “scalable and efficient operations” as well as supporting “the growth of the funding platform for mid-market corporates, the SaaS [software-as-a-service] offering and the wider business operations”, the London-based firm says.

Previously, Swil spent 18 months as head of SME banking at Starling, where she developed the business banking department. Before that, she spent over 10 years at Investec, where her roles included head of strategy development and deputy chief operating officer for Investec’s UK corporate and investment business.

Swil also spent eight years advising mid-sized corporates on M&A and fundraising transactions at investment banks including RBS and ABN Amro.

“Closing the trade finance gap is arguably the biggest opportunity in fintech right now and so I’m delighted to be joining Finverity as we continue to make trade finance better, fairer and more accessible for more businesses,” says Swil.

Alex Fenechiu, Finverity chief operating officer and co-founder, says that Swil’s track record means “she is the perfect fit to lead our operations as we continue to grow our international client base and expand our suite of services”.

Swil is “fully behind our mission of helping close the global trade finance gap and her experience of building out scalable operational processes is paramount to our growth phase”, adds Viacheslav Oganezov, chief executive and co-founder.

Finverity recently raised US$5mn in its latest equity funding round as it seeks to expand its offering of funded trade finance and working capital products.