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

Ruth is CEO of Octopus Money, a money advice brand for everyone. She believes everyone should be able to get help with their money, regardless of how much they earn or are able to invest.

Ruth has been part of the Octopus Group since 2018. Before Octopus Money, she was CEO of Octopus Investments. She sits on the Octopus Group Board. Ruth has had more work lives than an octopus has tentacles: her career has spanned roles that have included zoology, strategic consultancy, finance director for Barcardi’s Martini & Cognac portfolios, founding employee of a challenger bank, and working in Sierra Leone for the Ministry of Trade.

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.

Erin joined Octopus Ventures as CEO in January, 2025.

Previously, she held the role of CEO at HSBC Innovation Banking UK, formerly Silicon Valley Bank UK. Over two decades in leadership roles with the institution, she established Silicon Valley Bank UK as a standalone, regulated subsidiary before leading the organisation through the transition period following its sale to HSBC in 2023, scaling operations to over 800 people, across six countries and into the market leading position across the sector.

She’s been celebrated as a Top Woman in Fintech by Innovate Finance, and selected by Computer Weekly as one of the top 200 Most Influential Women in Tech. Erin has also held a seat on the boards of both UK Finance and ScaleUp Institute, and remains a UK Trustee at Founders Pledge, an advisory Board member for London Tech Week and a Member of the Capital Markets Industry Taskforce (CMIT).

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.

Mark has been CEO of Aurora since 2019, he has overall responsibility for the performance of the group including the development of new schools and ensuring the continued quality and financial improvements of existing services.
 
Before joining Aurora, Mark spent 19 years working in various roles in education and social care, including being a primary school teacher and more recently holding a CEO position in a large fostering agency.

David joined Seccl as CEO in April 2022. He has overall accountability for the company’s strategic direction: it’s his job to make sure they deliver on their collective ambition and market opportunity.

He was previously the founder and CEO of Nucleus, where he created a distinctive and customer-led culture that helped the investment platform to grow from start-up to £20bn in AUA when he departed.

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.

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.