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Meet some of the team
On face value, creating an instant employment verification platform may seem relatively straightforward. But as you unpack what’s involved, including; connecting disparate and unavailable data sources, varying employer and industry policies, a simple end user experience, integration with legacy systems, GDPR, security and compliance plus the evolving UK digital regulations, it’s clear that we need an expert team. We’d like to start introducing our tribe — a mix of expertise across background checking, technology and security/compliance/regulation.
Steve O’Neil — Head of Growth
Following 9 years of service as a British Army Officer, Steve entered the world of recruitment by launching Dome Recruitment Limited in 1998. A serial entrepreneur, Steve co-founded Security Watchdog and helped grow the business to become EMEA’s leading and largest Background Checking provider. Capita Plc bought Security Watchdog in March 2012 and Steve remained as Sales Director, with responsibility for Existing Business Growth and New Business Acquisition. Steve lives in Hampshire with his wife and three children, and has a passion for sports and travel.
Alison McDowell — Board Advisor
Alison is a Co-Founder and Director at Beruku Advisory, which provides end-to-end strategic advice on digital trust, identity and personal data. Most recently, Alison has been working with the U.K. government on the development of a digital identity ecosystem across the UK economy. Before working with Beruku, Alison spent 20 years in financial services, pharmaceuticals and FMCG, in senior commercial and HRD roles. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Better Hiring Institute, focusing on fairer, faster, and safer hiring in the UK.
Paolo Escobar — Head of Engineering
After starting his career as a developer in France, Paolo moved to Switzerland in 2012. During these early years, he worked for larger IT companies, and developed an interest in systems architecture, and how software can be used to meet customer needs. Soon after, he moved to London and joined the vibrant startup scene. Paolo’s focus at Konfir is building a culture where people thrive on delivering value to users. Outside of work, he is always keen to hear about new tech, ways of working, and places to eat good food in the sun. Paolo is married, and is the proud father of two children and one Shiba Inu.
Alastair Treharne — Board Advisor
Alastair is an expert advisor on digital identity with a background in business, political and security risk, working on UK and international initiatives across the humanitarian, development, public and private sector. Alastair’s work has recently focused on digital identity, biometrics, identity fraud and cybersecurity. He has advised private clients across various industries including banking, insurance, asset management, and private equity. His public sector experience includes working with governments in the UK, US, and Australia as well as supranational bodies including the United Nations and World Bank.
Lukas Kaiser — Operations Lead
Leading on Operations, we have Lukas, who joined Konfir in late 2021. Originally from Germany, Lukas moved to the UK in 2004 and now calls London home. After graduating from Imperial College, he helped scale businesses in London, Berlin, and Austin, Texas. His favourite thing about Konfir, and startups in general, is the variety of the work, which means that no two days are the same and there’s no shortage of learning opportunities. Lukas’ interests include travel, sustainability, and bikepacking.
Dr Carole Buttle — Chief Information Security Officer
Carole is an experienced security and assurance specialist with a focus on cryptographic solutions in secure comms and Information Assurance (IA). She has many years’ experience delivering complex solutions for industry, government, defence, and law enforcement, including identifying emerging threats and risk profiles within multiple attack scenarios. By combining IA and Security Architecture skills she has successfully deployed projects where the identification and implementation of diverse and alternative design considerations has been paramount.
We’re excited to keep building on this team and will continue to introduce ourselves to the market.
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