SPMB Recruits Chief Data Officer for Finastra
October 23, 2025 – SPMB Executive Search has recruited Ali Khan as chief data officer for London-based financial services company Finastra. Managing partner Mike Doonan led the assignment. “Congratulations to Finastra on welcoming Ali Khan as its new chief data officer,” SPMB said in a LinkedIn post. “A multi-industry data & AI veteran, Ali has held senior leadership roles at Experian, Verizon, and Scholastic. He has scaled global teams, built transformational data platforms, and consistently delivered business impact across highly regulated industries. Join us, and SPMB Executive Search managing partner Mike Doonan, in congratulating Ali and Finastra on this exciting new chapter of advancing its data-driven future.”
Mr. Khan has over 25 years of experience in data and AI leadership across multiple industries. Before joining Finastra, he served as senior vice president and chief data officer at Experian Consumer Services, where he led data platforms, product development, and governance initiatives. His previous roles include senior director of data platform at helm, head of data and analytic platforms at Verizon, and director of data and analytics at Scholastic. Mr. Khan has led teams of over 100 professionals and has been involved in building data platforms and products in regulated and security-sensitive environments.
Mr. Khan holds a position on the CDO Magazine global editorial board, highlighting his contributions to the field of data, and also serves as co-chair of the publication’s Atlanta Executive Board. Mr. Khan is a member of the Steering Committee for the Artificial Intelligence Business Consortium at Loyola University Chicago.
At Finastra, Mr. Khan will lead the global data organization to drive data strategy and innovation across the 8,000+ financial institutions the company serves in more than 130 countries.
For over 40 years, SPMB Executive Search has worked alongside its clients to build executive teams that ensure venture capital and private equity-backed game-changers achieve scale, and position multi-billion-dollar public companies to unlock innovation. Specializing in technology and innovation, SPMB recruits upper management and board members to growth-oriented companies in tech, consumer, and sustainability industries. SPMB has also placed dozens of senior executives at the portfolio companies of leading private equity firm partners including Blackstone, KKR, and TPG.
Related: SPMB Recruits CEO for AbsenceSoft
Mr. Doonan leads SPMB’s digital transformation and data practices and has executed over 400 C-level and VP searches across all market verticals. He enables innovative pure-play technology companies such as Google/Cloud and Amazon/AWS to achieve scale by recruiting senior leaders that have been through large, complex growth scenarios. Mr. Doonan also works closely with large incumbents such as Disney, AT&T, Comcast, Capital One, and Under Armour to evolve their technology, IT, product, data, security, and digital capabilities.
Chief Product Officer Search
SPMB recently placed Ramin Farassat as chief product officer of Menlo Security, Inc. The search was led by Sean Lucq from SPMB’s engineering and product practice. “Ramin’s deep commitment to innovation and his passion for building high-performing teams make him exceptionally well-suited to lead Menlo Security’s mission of fundamentally shifting how organizations secure users and data in today’s modern workspace,” said Bill Robbins, president of Menlo Security. “At such a pivotal time in cybersecurity, his ability to connect product vision to measurable impact will be invaluable in helping enterprises secure the browser and enable the world to connect, communicate, and collaborate without compromise.”
“With 20+ years of leadership in SaaS and cybersecurity, Mr. Farassat is known for scaling platforms, driving AI-led innovation, and building high-performing teams,” SPMB said in a LinkedIn post. “He has launched 40+ products, fueling 3x revenue growth, margin expansion, and category leadership — with product-led growth (PLG) strategies central to accelerating adoption and engagement. At Menlo Security, Ramin will bring deep expertise in generative AI, NLP, and data security to help shape product vision at a pivotal time in cybersecurity — protecting the browser, the heart of the modern enterprise, while preserving seamless performance.”
Most recently, Mr. Farassat served as CPO at Selcore, a company specializing in data security solutions. There, he led platform modernization and launched AI-powered security initiatives. Prior to that, as chief strategy and product officer at Egnyte, he significantly scaled the business,
Related: SPMB Assists Cervin Ventures in Recruitment of New Partner
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
