Thomas International, the leading global provider of people and psychometric assessment tools, has further strengthened its leadership team, introducing a new Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The new hires have been brought in to help Thomas deliver its ambitious growth plans following the acquisition of the business by Palamon Capital Partners in early 2018.

Guy Ballantine has joined the senior team as COO, bringing with him extensive experience of helping international businesses grow both organically and through acquisition. He has worked with businesses in multiple sectors, including technology, media, and telecoms, business services and education. Guy was previously a Director in corporate finance at DC Advisory, a Partner at advisory business RSM and most recently Managing Director of the Arts Division and Group Head of Corporate Development at the private equity backed Cambridge Education Group.

Joining Guy is Chris Jackson, who has been appointed as Thomas International’s new CTO. Chris is a commercial and technical leader, who was previously at Pearson, one of the world’s leading educational and publishing conglomerates, where he spearheaded its drive to become a cloud-based, digital company. During this time, he successfully deployed new digital native platforms to support wholesale consolidation and modernisation of the product portfolio. In his new role, Chris will drive Thomas International’s technology, implementing a technical vision that will deliver the next generation of user-friendly, scalable and innovative digital talent solutions.

Thomas International’s third senior hire is Tim Newbegin, who joins as CFO. A qualified accountant with over 25 years of finance experience, Tim brings with him an unrivalled level of knowledge, that covers mergers and acquisitions, the global implementation of financial systems across multi-sites, and commercial experience of service, media & technology driven markets. He has also successfully led numerous international teams through significant change, including private equity ownership, setting up new territories, managing operational consolidation and cost reduction. At Thomas, Tim will be spearheading the finance, HR and operations departments, helping drive the organisation towards its 2021 goal.

These three new hires join Aly Bowman, Chief Product Officer, and Greet Brosens, Chief Sales Officer, in the new leadership team. The strengthening of Thomas’ senior team comes following the investment made by Palamon Capital Partners earlier in the year, and further signifies its ambition and determination to expand quickly.

Amir Qureshi, CEO at Thomas International, comments: “We have seen some major changes at Thomas this year, all designed to support our ambitious plans to deliver organisational growth. The very fact that we are now able to attract people with the calibre and experience of Guy, Chris and Tim, shows that we are on a strong growth trajectory. These are really exciting times and I very much look forward to seeing their great work our colleagues, propelling us towards bigger and better things.”