Former Healx and Monzo executive Meri Williams has been appointed as new chief technology officer at business expenses solution Pleo
Williams joins from AI drug discovery company Healx, where she served as technical advisor, having previously held the role of CTO, spearheading the use of AI to find new medical treatments for rare diseased.
Prior to this, she honed her experience in fintech leadership as CTO of mobile-first challenger bank Monzo.
During her tenure at Monzo, between 2018 and 2020, Williams helped scale the company’s tech team by 300 per cent, and led investment in platform resilience and business continuity as its customer base grew to over four million.
Additionally, Williams is chair of The Lead Developer conference, which since its inception in 2015 has expanded to London, New York, Berlin and San Francisco.
The appointment, which closely follows the arrival of former American Express exec Abigail Slater as new UKI head of operations, comes as Pleo continues to invest in real-time oversight on company spending.
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“I’ve been incredibly impressed by Pleo’s journey over the past few years, from a disruptor in the business spend management market to an essential platform of choice for thousands of enterprises across Europe,” said new Pleo CTO Williams.
“Now, the organisation has expanded again to become a vital lifeline for thousands of businesses across Europe. The excitement of this journey is in how, along with the Pleo team, I can continue the company’s journey into becoming an indispensable partner during a time of economic uncertainty and trepidation.
“I am thrilled to be joining this first-class team that inspired me in every interaction thus far.”
Nicco Perra, co-founder of Pleo, commented: “We are delighted to have Meri join the Pleo team. She brings a wealth of industry experience to Pleo and Meri’s background in utilising technology and data insights to generate value for companies aligns perfectly with Pleo’s growth plans — as well as our continued role in helping businesses gain greater control and visibility over their spending.
“As a valued voice for LGBTQ+ rights and the role of women in technology, and as well as rapidly scaling technology organisations, Meri has simultaneously improved teams’ diversity, inclusion, and ways of working. This fits with Pleo’s determination to foster workplaces, including its own, based on belonging, where everyone feels valued.
“Meri will be an incredible force for us and the companies we work with.”
Pleo, now worth $4.7bn, reached unicorn status in 2021, when it raised $350m in Series C funding.
Related:
Q&A: Covid-19 drug discovery and tech trends — Meri Williams, while CTO of Healx, spoke to Information Age about key drug discovery and tech industry trends.
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