Meet the Updraft team
Building a better way to use credit.
Our leadership team brings together experience across credit, risk, technology and customer support, all focused on one thing: helping people make progress with confidence.
If you want to help build credit that works better for real life, you might want to join us.
The leaders below are responsible for how Updraft is governed, built and grown.
CEO & Founder
Founder and CEO of Updraft, Aseem brings over 14 years’ experience across banking and consumer lending, including leading HSBC’s UK credit card and unsecured lending business. He works with the team to build a clearer, fairer approach to credit, focused on progress, transparency and long-term outcomes.
“Too many people are doing the right things and still feeling stuck with credit. We built Updraft to give people clarity, confidence and a real way forward.”
David Cain
Chief Financial Officer
David brings deep financial leadership experience across consumer lending, fintech and structured finance. Before joining Updraft, he was CFO at Koyo and JAJA Finance, and previously held senior finance roles across the Cepal Group, N M Rothschild, and JP Morgan. At Updraft, David focuses on building a resilient, responsible financial foundation that supports long-term outcomes for customers.
“Helping people get control of their finances is what motivates me. Everything we do should make that easier, clearer and more sustainable.”
Micha Panagiotidi
Chief Risk Officer
Micha leads risk at Updraft, bringing deep expertise across data science, credit strategy and pricing. Having joined as a founding data scientist, she’s played a central role in building and evolving Updraft’s credit and risk models from the ground up. Before Updraft, Micha worked in advanced analytics at Retail Insight, applying predictive modelling to complex, real-world problems.
“I care about using data responsibly to make better credit decisions, so risk works in the customer’s favour as well as the business’s.”
Chris Smerdon
Chief Operating Officer
Chris leads operations at Updraft, with responsibility across underwriting, customer service, complaints, collections and recoveries. He brings deep experience in consumer credit operations, having held senior leadership roles at Barclays, MBNA and Chetwood, where he focused on building fair, effective and customer-centred outcomes at scale.
“The thing I want us to get right is delivering for our customers, because they’re the whole reason Updraft was built. If we’re not making things clearer, fairer and more supportive for them, then we’re not doing our job.”
Cath Ready
Chief Compliance Officer (SMF16 & SMF17)
Cath leads risk and compliance at Updraft, with deep experience across regulatory compliance, conduct risk and operational risk in UK financial services. Before joining Updraft, she held senior roles at NewDay and Nationwide, working closely with executive teams to embed strong governance and fair customer outcomes.
“Good compliance should protect customers and enable progress, not get in the way of it.”
Ashley Benison
Chief Growth Officer
Ashley leads growth at Updraft, bringing over a decade of experience across performance marketing and product-led growth. He’s spent more than five years scaling Updraft, following senior growth roles at Sketch and bwin, where he focused on driving adoption through clarity, speed and strong customer outcomes.
“As a parent of young children, I know how little time people have. It matters to me that our product works simply and quickly, so customers can move on with their day.”
Sam Angeli
Chief Design & Product Officer
Sam brings senior experience in building and scaling teams, systems and operations in high-growth businesses. At Updraft, he focuses on making sure what the brand promises is consistently delivered through the product and customer experience.
“I care about building deep consistency between brand and product, so what we say always leads to positive outcomes for customers.”
Graham Lyon
Head of Engineering
Graham leads technology at Updraft, bringing deep hands-on experience across software engineering and platform development. After joining as a senior engineer, he stepped into the leadership role, helping guide how the platform scales safely and reliably. Previously a co-founder and tech lead at Entale, Graham focuses on building resilient technology that enables rapid development without compromising security or performance.
“I care about building technology that scales properly, so teams can move quickly without cutting corners.”
Mat Braddy
Brand Founder
Brand founder and former CMO of Just Eat, where he helped build and scale one of the UK’s most successful consumer brands through to IPO. At Updraft, Mat focuses on challenger strategy, brand growth, and how credit can genuinely lift people forward.
“I believe brands have to stand for something. What drew me to Updraft from the start was a shared belief that credit can help people out of bad debt and lift their lives, not hold them back.”
Built by teams across Updraft.
While this page focuses on the senior leaders responsible for how Updraft is run, the business is built day to day by teams across London, Manchester and India.
From engineers and data scientists to customer support and operations, people across Updraft work together to build, maintain and improve a credit platform that’s designed around real life – and real progress.
That collective effort is what makes credit that lifts you possible.
Updraft Awards & Recognition
Recognised for helping UK borrowers take control of debt.
