Offa expand senior management team with a trio of appointments in operations and compliance

The UK’s first Sharia-compliant bridge property finance provider Offa have announced the arrival of Ben Reeves as Head of Operations and Svetlana Ghadiri as the Head of Compliance, along with Ginny Wong as a Compliance and Risk Analyst. The trio, whose finance backgrounds include stints at NatWest, Al Rayan Bank and the Bank of Communications, bring more than 55 years of combined experience in operations and compliance to the Solihull-based business. All three will be reporting into Offa’s Chief Finance Officer, Amir Firdaus.

Welcoming the new joiners to Offa, CFO Firdaus said: “We are delighted to have Ben, Svetlana and Ginny on board. They bring a wealth of experience to their respective roles, arriving at an exciting time as Offa expands and gears up to new Sharia-compliant product launches. Operations and compliance are vital components in the best-in-class customer service we are building at Offa. The trio are key in helping us to deliver robust, reliable and streamlined processes as part of a compliant framework that supports all our stakeholders, while staying true to our company ethos and ambitious business goals.”

Offa’s new Head of Operations Ben Reeves returns to the finance world after working in packaging for the past three years. Ben had previously spent over 20 years at National Westminster (NatWest) Bank and its parent group, the Royal Bank of Scotland, in a variety of senior operational roles managing large-scale fulfilment systems across multiple brands in the Buy to Let, residential and extra borrowing markets. He has played an instrumental role in transforming mortgage operations to became more customer-centric, whilst creating more cost-efficient processes. He has also led on change management by introducing automated processing tools to front line services.

Ben will be the delivery lead for Offa’s new product launches, creating a market-leading customer experience. He will also oversee Offa’s innovative new technological infrastructure, where all systems are streamlined to ensure customers consistently have access to Islamic finance fast. His Ops role also encompasses maintaining Offa’s ethos and values as a positive and inclusive working environment as the company grows.

Svetlana Ghadiri becomes Offa’s new Head of Compliance, responsible for monitoring and implementing regulatory requirements, and ensuring Offa’s internal processes, reporting and staff training adhere to these requirements. The highly qualified accountant and solicitor joins from Al Rayan Bank, where she was General Counsel to the board. Other senior positions she has previously held include Chairing the Audit Committee of fintech ITI Capital, Vice-President Compliance at retail foreign exchange broker FXCM Group, and a director at Springmount Capital Group, giving her a wealth of experience in regulatory compliance across diverse finance sectors and markets.

Her professional credentials include Fellowship at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, Chartered Internal Auditor with the Institute of Internal Auditors, Qualified Solicitor and Advocate with the Higher Rights of Audience in the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Svetlana also holds an International Advanced Certificate in Regulatory Compliance from the International Compliance Association and Level 3 Certificates in Securities and UK Financial Regulation from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Completing the trio of new Offa appointments is Ginny Wong, a Compliance and Risk Analyst with over fifteen years’ experience in financial services. As a Certified Public Accountant, much of Ginny’s career has focussed on regulatory compliance, auditing, and accounting. She spent 11 years as a Senior Compliance Monitoring Manager with the Bank of Communications — the fifth largest bank in China. Previously, she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, honing her compliance and auditing skills. In her new role, Ginny will be responsible for fostering a culture of compliance across Offa, ensuring the organisation’s compliance and risk management functions adhere to the highest standards.