OnBuy appoints Joanna Smith as Chief Technology Officer following string of significant hires

BOURNEMOUTH, England, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Online marketplace, OnBuy has today announced the appointment of Joanna Smith as Chief Technology Officer to continue to develop the fast-growing brand.

Jo, who previously served as CTO of Virtual College Ltd., joined the company in September 2021 and will oversee OnBuy's expanding technology teams across its current UK market, with sights set on global markets beyond.

Prior to her role at Virtual College Ltd., Jo held the role of IT Director for multi-category recommerce business, Entertainment Magpie. Prior to this, she worked under the Co-operative Group as Head of Group IT.

Since 2016, OnBuy has existed to disrupt the status quo around eCommerce, taking on the industry giants that currently dominate the market. With its 'level playing field' offering, OnBuy has attracted more than 7,000 retailers, hosting over 36 million products on the platform. Built on a foundation of trust and transparency, the Bournemouth-based company vows never to compete with its retailers, simply offering a fairer marketplace.

Cas Paton, Founder and CEO of OnBuy comments, "Joanne is impressive and there was no other option for OnBuy. We have a clear vision and it's nothing short of ambitious, and to get there we need the best people. I was immediately impressed by Joanna's extensive knowledge of the sector, and I am confident in her leadership capabilities to drive our technology platform as we continue to execute our strategy."

Jo joins OnBuy following a highly successful growth period, including its recent Series A+ Fundraise earlier this year which saw £35M of investment - a mix of debt and equity - raised through VC and strategic technology investors.

Commenting on her appointment, Jo said, "It is fantastic to return to the retail sector and join OnBuy at such a pivotal time for the business. OnBuy has experienced exceptional growth under the impassioned leadership of Cas and the skilled team he has already put in place.

"Onbuy is strategically well-positioned for the future, and I look forward to working together with the full team to continue to deliver exceptional results for our customers and our shareholders."

Jo is the latest senior hire for OnBuy following a business-wide recruitment drive, seeing a series of important hires including Sarah Jane Brooks as Head of Marketing Intelligence, Tammy Ajadi as DevOps Manager and Darwin Mak as DevOps Engineer.

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