Ripjar names new product & Marketing Chiefs as ARR rises

Ripjar has appointed Conrad Nicholas as Chief Product Officer and Katie Miller as Vice President of Marketing, as the company reports a 40% rise in annual recurring revenue.

Nicholas joins from Droit, where he was Head of Product for Pre-Trade Compliance. Miller was previously Group Head of Marketing and Communications at AML Analytics.

The appointments add senior product and marketing leadership as Ripjar expands its screening and risk intelligence business, including in the US. Demand is rising as financial institutions and other organisations respond to shifting sanctions regimes, tighter regulatory scrutiny and growing adverse media risks.

Ripjar provides customer screening, adverse media monitoring and threat investigation software to more than 400 organisations worldwide, including banks, businesses and government agencies. The UK company was founded by former GCHQ technologists.

Nicholas will lead product strategy and the company's innovation roadmap. His background includes 12 years at UBS, where he most recently led product for regulatory onboarding and data services, after starting his career at Accenture working on banking technology implementations.

At Droit, he led the pre-trade compliance product line during a period in which revenue doubled before the business was acquired by FIS. That experience, alongside his work inside a major bank and in consulting, has given him direct knowledge of how financial institutions assess and deploy regulatory technology.

Miller brings more than 20 years of marketing experience. At AML Analytics, she worked across financial crime, regulatory technology and supervisory technology, including sanctions screening and transaction monitoring testing and validation tools sold to governments, financial intelligence units and regulators.

Growth push

The leadership changes come during a period of growth. Businesses are moving away from manual, fragmented screening processes towards software-based systems that can handle larger volumes and provide clearer reasoning behind decisions.

That shift has helped drive growth in Ripjar's screening business, according to Chief Executive Officer Matt Mills. He linked the appointments to the company's next stage of development and its push into new markets.

"Conrad and Katie join Ripjar at a crucial moment, following strong growth in our screening business that has seen annual recurring revenues increase by 40%. Their appointments strengthen our leadership team as we enter the next stage of evolution, including our expansion into markets such as the US, bringing together deep product expertise, sector insight and global marketing experience. Conrad's background in building scalable, product-led platforms for complex regulatory environments and Katie's proven track record in financial crime, RegTech and international go-to-market strategy will be invaluable as we continue to meet increasing demand for smarter screening solutions," said Mills.

Nicholas said the market backdrop is becoming more difficult for organisations dealing with financial crime and reputational threats. He pointed to the growing use of artificial intelligence by criminals and the operational challenge firms face in deciding whether to build systems in-house or buy them from suppliers.

"Managing financial crime and reputational risk is becoming more complex, with growing adoption of AI among criminals, and I've experienced the challenges from different angles: as a bank deciding whether to build or buy, as a consultant implementing complex systems, and as a product leader creating technology that scales. Ripjar is already ahead of this market with its application of AI to improve screening accuracy and performance, its GCHQ heritage and a mission rooted in helping organisations make better, more defensible risk decisions. My focus is a roadmap that continues to turn that advantage into everyday value for customers, with explainability at the centre of how we build," said Nicholas.

Miller said her appointment alongside the new product chief creates an opportunity to align commercial messaging and product direction more closely as the company broadens its international reach.

"Ripjar has already built a strong global reputation among financial institutions and enterprises. The opportunity to further expand Ripjar's market presence and deepen its engagement with customers globally is an exciting proposition. Joining alongside Conrad also creates a unique chance to align product and marketing closely from the outset. I'm excited to bring my financial crime, RegTech and global marketing experience to support Ripjar's global expansion," said Miller.