Leadership team

Simon has overall responsibility for the day-to-day decisions and strategic direction of Octopus Group.

Much of his time is spent looking for new opportunities for Octopus, such as moving into the commercial energy sector with Octopus Energy.

Before founding Octopus in 2000, Simon spent two years working at Mercury Asset Management. He holds a first-class MA in Modern Languages from St. Andrews University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Find out more about Simon

Chris is responsible for expanding Octopus Group, particularly among institutional investors. He is also on the investment committees of several Octopus funds.

Before founding Octopus in 2000, Chris led a global equity research team at Mercury Asset Management.

He has a first-class MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Find out more about Chris

Erin became CEO of Octopus Investments in September 2025, following her appointment as CEO of Octopus Ventures in January 2025.

Prior to Octopus, Erin spent nearly two decades at HSBC Innovation Banking (formerly Silicon Valley Bank UK), where she became a trusted partner to entrepreneurs and investors while scaling the bank’s UK operations. Erin is a proven leader with extensive experience building and scaling financial services organisations that support innovation and entrepreneurship.  

Erin has held board roles at UK Finance and the ScaleUp Institute, and continues to serve with Founders Pledge and London Tech Week, in addition to being a member of the Capital Markets Industry Taskforce.

Lieven has a long-established career in asset management, including 20 years at Schroders Investment Management. His career at Schroders spanned roles in Hong Kong, including Chief Executive of the Asia Pacific region, and London, as Global Head of Distribution and member of the Group Management Committee. In the latter roles, he was responsible for leading on the strategy and growth of the institutional, retail and wealth management businesses. Lieven also served on the Board of Greencoat Capital, the investment manager to Greencoat UK Wind, the leading listed renewable infrastructure trust. 
 
Most recently Lieven has worked as a Senior Advisor with the Boston Consulting Group, providing consulting expertise in the firm’s financial institution practice, focusing on private markets, asset and wealth management.

As CEO of Octopus Money, Daniel is focused on making high‑quality financial support accessible to millions of people across the UK.

Daniel joined Octopus in 2014 and has played a central role in building and scaling several of the Group’s financial services businesses. Daniel led the acquisitions of Octopus Legacy and amicable.

Before joining Octopus, Daniel built his career across analytical, commercial and customer‑focused roles, gaining experience in supporting high‑net‑worth clients, developing new product lines, and working across regulated financial planning and investment areas.

Sam founded Octopus Legacy with a mission to make life easier for the people left behind after loss, following his mum’s sudden death in 2016. The company joined the Octopus Group in 2022.

Before founding Octopus Legacy, Sam worked as an Equity Analyst and was an entrepreneur, creating a paleo cereal brand. He holds a double Bachelor of Science, Statistics and Geology from the University of Auckland.

Kate is one of the country’s leading experts on divorce, separation relationships and family law reform.
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As co-founder of amicable, the leading online divorce services company, Kate helps couples and separated parents navigate divorce and separation amicably. She is a certified Relationship Counsellor, Resolution trained Family Consultant, having worked with many of London’s top collaborative lawyers prior to starting amicable in 2015. She co-founded amicable after going through her own highly acrimonious, costly and lengthy divorce. She is now a regular and respected commentator on divorce, separation and relationship issues. 

Kate is passionate about changing the way couples divorce and campaigns for fairer divorce laws and access to justice.

Pip Wilson is a successful tech entrepreneur, director, angel investor, and start-up mentor. As CEO, she leads amicable’s vision and tech strategy, driving innovation to simplify and streamline the divorce and separation process, making it as smooth and conflict-free as possible.

Previously, Pip co-founded Bluefin Solutions, a leading SAP consultancy, which she successfully exited to Mindtree in 2015. She has also served on multiple charity boards including as Deputy Chair as the Royal Society of Arts. She actively supports female founded businesses, often as an investor or advisor.

Prior to joining Aurora, Kelvin was part of the founding team at Welbeck Health Partners, building the company into one of the top providers of high-quality private healthcare.

Kelvin has been chosen to lead B Corp accredited Aurora through the next phase of its development. It is an exciting time as the company continues its positive growth story, whilst delivering its mission of providing specialist education and care to the most vulnerable in society.

Jonathan has been Seccl’s CEO since September 2025. He joined from Octopus Investments, where he was COO for six years, with previous senior operating roles at fast-growing technology companies – including COO for Zoopla’s software business and MD for TripAdvisor’s vacation rentals platform business.

Kristy is responsible for creating, owning and delivering Octopus Investments’ retail business strategy and leading the Customer & Sales team. She joined Octopus Investments as Distribution Director in September 2021 from Abrdn, where she was responsible for the key strategic partners of Aberdeen Standard Investments and Standard Life.

Kristy was previously Head of Institutional, Europe for BMO Global Asset Management and spent 15 years in various sales and client management roles within hedge funds and real estate.

Alison is responsible for creating, owning and delivering Octopus Investment’s business strategy and managing several key business functions, including: Strategy, Change and Transformation; Marketing; Communications; and Retail Investment Products.

Alison joined in 2021 following various senior roles at NatWest Group, including Head of Strategy & Delivery for Esme Loans, the digital SME lender for NatWest Bank and VP for Structured Finance.