Smart Pension has announced it has hired ex-Bravura Solutions and GBST EMEA business development director Kirsty Worgan as its first Chief Commercial Officer.

While at Bravura, Worgan helped the Australian wealth management and funds administration technology provider win a number of high profile UK clients, as well as in the wider EMEA area including three new contracts with Tier One financial services organisations in South Africa.

Before that at GBST, she helped establish the company within the UK, making it one of the largest platform technology companies with a list of clients including Aegon, Fidelity and AJ Bell.

Worgan said: “I love the culture at Smart and the fact that it is a genuine disruptor with new ways of thinking and with the whole global savings market to go after including the US 401(k) retirement plan sector.

“Smart already has good reach and reputation with a number of fantastic strategic international partnerships and I’m looking forward to optimising commercial outputs, clients and contracts in existing territories - and new.”

Andrew Evans, Smart Pension co-founder and CEO, said: “Kirsty is an absolutely stellar appointment and her experience significantly strengthens and broadens our global ambitions. She will work closely with Michelle Darracott our Chief Strategy Officer, Dan McLaughlin, our Director of International and the rest of the Smart leadership team to direct strong market entry.”

Smart recently announced it had chosen Chicago for its US headquarters and is currently part of the UK Government's pioneering Fintech Bridge Programme with Australia.

In January, J.P. Morgan announced it had taken a minority equity stake in the firm as part of a strategic placement funding round. Smart has also had investment from Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), Europe’s second-largest asset manager.