Dufrain appoints first ever CFO

Data company Dufrain has announced Alex Meakin as its first ever CFO.

Meakin began his career as a design and software engineer before qualifying as a chartered accountant with PwC. He has over 20 years experience in finance across a “range of sectors”.

He joined from Brookson Group where, as CFO, he was responsible for M&A, debt financing, financial planning and analysis and due diligence. He also successfully led the company through a sale to People 2.0 in May this year and has previously held senior finance roles at Thomas Cook, Manchester Airport and Barclays.

Dufrain looked to appoint Meakin due to his “considerable experience” from previous roles at private equity-backed companies following the significant investment from Phoenix Equity Partners earlier this year.

The news follows the announcement that Mark Fowle has joined as chairman. The continued expansion of the senior team demonstrates the “significant growth” at Dufrain this year. Meakin will also join the board of directors and will work closely with CEO Joseph George and CCO Gerry Goodwin.

CEO Joseph George said: “Alex brings with him a wealth of experience and I’m looking forward to working closely with him throughout this period of growth for Dufrain. His diverse background in a wide range of senior finance roles as well as his keen interest in data and analytics makes him a great fit for the company, especially as such during such a pivotal and exciting period of growth for us.

“I’m confident he’ll be a real asset to our senior team, providing insight and knowledge from previous roles at PE backed companies.”

Meakin added: “Dufrain has seen huge growth over the last year, and its ability to deliver excellent outcomes for clients as well as an unrivalled internal culture attracted its investment from Phoenix back in July. It’s such an exciting time to join the team, and I’m looking forward to working with Joseph and the whole board to deliver on the ambitious growth plans already in the pipeline.”