Board and Management

Carl D’Ammassa

Chief Executive Officer

Carl joined DF Capital in March 2020 and successfully led the firm through to its full authorisation as a bank. Carl has spent more than 25 years’ working in commercial, regulated and SME finance, with extensive divisional managing director and CEO experience built across a number of UK based businesses. Carl was Group Managing Director at Aldermore Bank, leading its growing business lending franchise. He spent over a decade at GE Capital, and held roles at White Oak UK, Hitachi Capital (now Novuna) and Hydrex Ltd. Carl has been Chair and Director of The Leasing Foundation and was a Non-Executive Director of AFS Group Holdings Ltd.

Sameera Khaliq

Chief Financial Officer

Sameera joined DF Capital in 2025 as Chief Financial Officer and brings almost two decades of financial services and regulated lending experience to the Company. She previously held senior financial leadership positions, most recently at Skipton Building Society where she was responsible for all elements of finance across substantial business lines. Sameera also held a non-executive director position at the Leeds Credit Union until recently, has been advising a fintech start-up on its capital raise and currently holds a non-executive director role at Ecology Building Society.

Mark Stephens

Non-Executive Chairman

Mark is currently the Chair of the Board Risk Committee of Birmingham Bank and has over 40 years of experience in UK banking across a wide range of functional areas. He was formerly the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Allica Bank and of Harrods Bank, and prior to those was Deputy CEO and one of the founders of Aldermore Bank.

Committees:

• Board Risk Committee
• Board Audit Committee
• Remuneration Committee (Chair)
• Nomination Committee (Chair)

Nicole Coll

Independent Non-Executive Director

Nicole is a qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ global financial services experience, including serving as Chief Finance Officer at Bank and Clients PLC, Chief Financial Accountant at the Bank of England and senior finance roles at Société Générale.

Committees:

• Board Risk Committee
• Board Audit Committee (Chair)
• Remuneration Committee
• Nomination Committee

Thomas Grathwohl

Independent Non-Executive Director

Tom is a former GE Capital Senior Managing Director with over 40 years’ of distribution finance industry experience. Tom assisted in the sale process of GE Capital Commercial Distribution Finance to Wells Fargo in 2016. During his tenure at Wells Fargo, Tom assisted in the global integration of the GE Capital Commercial Distribution Finance Business.

Committees:

• Board Audit Committee
• Board Risk Committee
• Remuneration Committee
• Nomination Committee

Rich Green

Independent Non-Executive Director

Rich brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in the financial services sector, spanning consumer, commercial, and insurance markets across the UK and Europe. He spent much of his career at GE Capital, where he held CEO & COO roles across consumer, asset finance, fleet, leasing, and consumer lending; including serving as Chief Executive Officer of GE Commercial Distribution Finance for the EMEA region.

Sheryl Lawrence

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Sheryl is a chartered accountant and holds an MBA from London Business School and an LLM from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. She has held senior executive roles at Barclays, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Coventry Building Society, Nationwide Building Society and Provident Financial Group.

Committees:

• Board Risk Committee (Chair)
• Board Audit Committee
• Remuneration Committee
• Nomination Committee

Haakon Stenrød

Non-Executive Director

Haakon is an Investment Director at Watrium AS and a Board Member for Ultimovacs, a cancer biotech company listed in Oslo. He was previously a partner with ABG Sundal Collier, the leading Nordic investment banking group. He has broad transaction experience in M&A, equity capital markets, debt and restructuring advisory. He holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Economics and Technology Management from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Goi Ashmore

Chief Risk Officer

Goi has over 18 years’ senior management experience in Risk and Treasury gained at Metro Bank (UK), Barclays and Atradius. His senior risk management responsibilities include compliance and financial crime. He has in-depth experience of implementing systems and controls in a regulated environment, a thorough understanding of cyber security in the sector and deep expertise in financial risks for both SME and retail sectors. Goi is currently Pro Chancellor and Chair of Council for Swansea University.

Paul Atherton

Chief Technology Officer

Paul has more than 20 years’ experience within the banking and financial services industry and is a senior operations and change leader with a proven track record within start-up challenger banks during the design, implementation and growth phases. Part of the mobilisation team at OakNorth, holding various operational and transformation leadership roles at Aldermore Bank, Paul has led and been responsible for customer services and collections, lending and savings products, cash and treasury operations, technology, data management and transformation.

Richard Baxter

Chief Revenue Officer

Richard has over 35 years’ commercial, risk and business change experience, across the asset based lending (“ABL”), SME finance and the wider banking spaces. Richard has previously held roles at Aldermore where he led the portfolio risk team, covering the invoice and specialist finance product lines. Before Aldermore, he built a strong portfolio of experience at the Royal Bank of Scotland in its ABL, invoice discounting and working capital product divisions. Richard is a Trustee of the charity Chrysalis Prevention of Men’s Suicide.

Karen D’Souza

General Counsel & Company Secretary

Karen has 10 years’ experience at Addleshaw Goddard working principally on general banking, corporate restructuring and debt advisory matters. This was followed by a role as Head of Legal (Transactions) working across transactions, investments, and general corporate advisory and governance matters at a pan-European investment fund manager.

Charlie Michael

Chief Operating Officer

Charlie has more than 20 years’ financial services experience, including 10 years at Aldermore Bank as well as spending time at Merrill Lynch and Formation Asset Management. Charlie has worked across all HR disciplines, including business partnering, HR support services, training and development, as well as talent management and recruitment. Charlie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is a Trustee of JustLife, a temporary accommodation charity for the homeless.

John Wood

Chief Lending Officer

John has over 35 years’ financial services experience, mainly in risk management. Previously with Royal Bank of Scotland, Aldermore, and most recently Allica Bank as Head of Enterprise Risk, John has extensive experience in senior credit and risk roles, managing a diverse team and overseeing risk management frameworks and appetites across a commercial lending portfolio. Before Allica Bank, John was Aldermore Bank’s Chief Credit Officer and Financial Risk Director, responsible for portfolios including property, asset finance, invoice finance, and structured finance.

Corvin Baks

Director - Product

Corvin joined DF Capital shortly after the business was founded in 2016. Over the last 17 years he had various commercial leadership roles within financial services and SME lending, such as GE Capital in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Corvin has a proven track record in business development and is specialised in the origination, structuring and delivery of distribution finance and working capital solutions.

Dave Burton

Director of Financial & Regulatory Reporting

Dave has more than 20 years’ financial services experience, including 8 years at Aldermore Bank, as well as spending time with the Bank of Scotland, Freedom Finance Group and KPMG Transaction Services. Dave has worked across a number of finance disciplines, including FP&A, financial control and has extensive M&A experience. Dave qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand.

James Felton

Director - Financial Analysis & Capital Management

James has over 12 years of experience in regulated financial services across the UK and Europe advising lenders on strategy, growth, partnerships and M&A opportunities. Prior to joining DF Capital, James previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Board Director for White Oak UK, the UK non-bank SME lender, and before that spent 7 years within the Financial Services M&A team at KPMG, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.