Meet the team

Ignacio Hernandez
Managing Director

Ignacio Hernandez joined Currencies Direct in February 2007 as Director of Group Business Development and was appointed Managing Director in September 2008.

Prior to joining Currencies Direct Ignacio held strategic and business transformation roles within Thomas Cook Global & Financial Services and Travelex, specialising in retail and corporate global payments working with many tier one organisations on a global basis.

After studying at UCM University in Madrid, where he gained a degree in Law, Ignacio started his career at Thomas Cook Financial Services in the United Kingdom.

David Miles
Director, Finance

David joined Currencies Direct in March 2006 as Group Financial Controller. He is responsible for providing management and advice across the full range of the Group's activities including finance, insurance, tax and banking matters as well as leading operations, HR and compliance.

David has over 20 years experience in banking and Capital Markets and is a chartered accountant as well as a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Mark O'Sullivan
Director, Dealing

Mark O'Sullivan joined Currencies Direct in 2005 and was appointed Director of Dealing in 2008.

Mark has over 20 years experience working in both the corporate and retail foreign exchange markets having worked for a number of companies including MW Marshall's, Harlow Garban and GT Trading, where he was a partner. Mark is held in high regard within the industry and regularly features on CNBC, Bloomberg and in the Financial Times providing expert opinion on the currency markets.

Sonal Patel
Director, Treasury

A member of the operating board, Sonal has been with Currencies Direct for almost ten years, having previously worked at ING Barings and World Bank. As Director of Treasury Operations, Sonal is responsible for the day-to-day dealing, proprietary trading and cash management functions of the Group.

Jarrad Hubble
Director, Sales

Jarrad joined Currencies Direct in April 2008 and was appointed Director of Sales in 2010.

Prior to joining Currencies Direct he held various senior business development and relationship management positions within the sports, banking and concierge industries.

Having been focused on sales and people management throughout his career he has a degree in Sport Management from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Jarrad began his career at the Australian Institute of Sport where he was involved in the commercial management of their field hockey stadium.

Zoe Duncombe
Head of Alliances & Partnerships

Zoe joined Currencies Direct in June 2007 to develop the growth of alliances and partnerships both in the UK and abroad.

With nearly 10 years experience in the foreign exchange and payments business, working at Thomas Cook Financial Services and Travelex, Zoe spent two years in Dubai working in the real estate and property development industry before joining Currencies Direct as Alliances and Partnerships Manager.

Zoe has a degree in Accountancy from Portsmouth University where she majored in marketing.

Jose Ivars-Lopez
Head of Marketing

Jose joined Currencies Direct in June 2008 heading the private client business development team in the UK. In 2009 he was appointed Head of Marketing.

He has developed his career within sales and marketing mainly within the real estate sector. During his career in the international property development industry, Jose has had numerous responsibilities, including the development of products, market development strategy and branding.

Jose is currently on the board of trustees of the Anglo-Spanish Society in the UK and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Peter Loveday
Head of Private Sales – Southern Europe

Peter joined the organisation in February 2003 and has held various roles in the Spanish division prior to being appointed Head of Private Sales in 2010.

Peter is responsible for the Private Sales functions in the UK and business development across Southern Europe, including partner relationships, management of local branches and ensuring support for all the private and corporate customers in the region.

Educated to honours degree level, Peter has 26 years of experience in the real estate and foreign exchange industries.

Craig Montano
Head of Information Technology

Craig joined Currencies Direct in March 2010 as Head of Information Technology.

His 20 year career in IT includes experience in a number of industries: investment banking, stock broking, outsourcing and managed IT services. Craig is responsible for IT operations, infrastructure and applications that drive the company’s cross border payment services.

Craig has a degree in information systems from the University of South Africa and has worked in IT throughout his career, which he started at a leading bank.

Alex Tejada
Head of Business Solutions

Alex joined Currencies Direct in November 2009 to drive the company’s product and e-commerce development in his role as Head of Business Solutions.

He started his career in Chicago with CGI, a leading North American IT services firm. As a Risk Management and Credit and Collections consultant, he has worked and lived in several countries in North America, Europe and the Middle East giving him a global outlook to business. In his role as product manager on several key projects in consumer foreign exchange, he developed long term, profitable customer solutions combining an understanding of the technical and commercial aspects of the business.

Alex has a bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Ruchi Arora
Head of Offshore Operations

Ruchi joined the organization in 2007 as Manager of Customer Service and Solutions prior to being appointed as Head of Offshore Operations in 2010.

Ruchi started her career in sales for a leading US based Internet Provider and then moved into financial products and services with extensive experience in foreign exchange and global payments.

She graduated with an Engineering Degree from the University of Pune, India but has spent her entire career in offshore service provision.

David Akiva
Manager - Internal Audit

David joined Currencies Direct as a senior project accountant in April 2007 with a focus on internal audit and controls.

He has worked in the foreign exchange industry for 24 years on both the retail and corporate side of the business. He has built and implemented programmes and controls into all areas of the business, along with a rigorous auditing process.

Mayank B. Patel
Group Chairman & CEO- Azibo Group

Mayank is an investor and a serial entrepreneur with business interests spanning across 5 continents in financial services, hospitality and the leisure industry. Two prominent brands in his portfolio include Currencies Direct Limited and Universal VAT services (UVS)... More

Neil Redcliffe
Group Managing Director – Azibo Group

Neil Redcliffe has been an integral part of Currencies Direct since its inception. His commitment to the organisation springs from an inherent belief that there is another way to do business and he is passionate about the company’s ability to create a different experience for its customers... More

Yogesh Shetty
Senior Advisor to the board – Azibo Group

After graduating from university Yogesh started his career at Coopers and Lybrand (PWC) in Tanzania. Since then he has gone on to have a varied and successful career with Travelex, who he joined nearly 20 years ago, in the fields of financial, treasury, dealing and risk management... More

Leslie Priestley
Non-Executive Director

Leslie Priestley is Chairman of Generali PanEurope Ltd.(a company registered in Eire) and Tenax Capital Ltd (a specialised hedge fund). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers... More