Funding Circle Appoints Rob Straathof as CEO to Succeed Lisa Jacobs in 2027

Funding Circle appointed Rob Straathof as chief executive officer, subject to regulatory approval, to succeed Lisa Jacobs, the company said in a GlobeNewswire announcement on November 4, 2026. Straathof will join in the first half of 2027, with his appointment date to be confirmed.

Straathof's Liberis and Grover Background

Straathof spent a decade as CEO of Liberis, where the company said he led its growth from a UK small business lender with a single partner into a global embedded finance platform offering multiple products and providing over $4 billion of funding to more than 100,000 small businesses. He is currently CEO of Grover, a European technology subscription platform based in Germany.

The appointment followed a search led by the Nomination Committee and supported by an independent executive search firm, which considered a strong field of candidates. Ken Stannard, Chair of Funding Circle, said: "Rob brings a deep understanding of small businesses, strong credit expertise and a proven track record of leading fintech businesses, in particular his decade scaling Liberis into a multi-product platform."

Jacobs, whose intention to step down was announced on 8 September 2026, will continue to lead the business and ensure a handover before stepping down by no later than September 2027. Straathof said: "Lisa and the team have built an outstanding business: a profitable, capital-light platform with distinctive strengths in credit and technology, and a growing range of products that meets more of small businesses' financial needs."

Funding Circle's Lending Platform at the Handover

According to akta.pro company records, Funding Circle completed SBOLT 2026-1 in June 2026, its tenth public SME loan securitisation since 2016, bringing cumulative issuance to approximately £2.5 billion and marking British Business Bank's first participation in a Funding Circle public securitisation. The same records show the company renewed a £200 million forward flow agreement with Deutsche Bank in June 2026, extending a partnership that originated in 2014.

Jacobs's Exit and the Profit Forecast

On 8 September 2026, CityAM reported that Jacobs will step down by September 2027 as the firm lifted its profit forecast. Revenue jumped 50% to £138m and pre-tax profit quadrupled to £24.1m over six months, with the company expecting over £40m for the year, and it announced a £25m buyback.

On 19 October 2026, Index Ventures V Limited crossed the 15% voting rights threshold in Funding Circle Holdings, holding 44,017,600 shares representing 15.007125% of voting rights, FinanzNachrichten.de reported.

Straathof's Start Date

Funding Circle said Straathof's date of appointment will be confirmed in due course, within the first half of 2027.