About Us

As an investment banking professional with more than 20 years of experience in senior front-office and digital roles, most recently as Managing Director Corporate and Institutional Digital at HSBC, I understand what is needed to maximise efficiency. I am passionate about digitalisation in capital markets - delivering commercial, valued added solutions in a client-focussed manner. I understand deal execution processes and the challenges.

Finsmart is the brainchild of years of knowledge and innovative thinking - Finsmart is a collaborative business bringing the best possible digital solution for primary capital markets.

As an investment banking professional with over 17 years of experience in Primary Capital Markets, I understand the challenges of bond execution notably during live deal execution. Previously, as Head of Emerging Market Debt Capital Markets desk for Europe and Africa at HSBC, I led more than 200 deals globally from jumbo deals to private placements.

As a Debt Capital Markets specialist, I see first-hand how small changes in deal execution processes make an enormous difference in both efficiencies and returns. An easily adopted digital platform will enhance working practices in deal execution. My vision is that through Finsmart and DealPro we will deliver a unique, commercial application to optimise deal execution.

My focus as chief technology officer is to deliver innovative, secure, technology solutions in the finance sector, delivering enhanced working practices.

Having 25+ years of technology expertise in the finance sector, I have devised and implemented many secure, scalable, high performance multi-stream multi-platform systems that have also been rolled out for use across mobile platforms.

To create DealPro, I have translated the needs of all stakeholders in Debt Capital Markets onto one secure digital platform. The application will also be available across mobile platforms and will revolutionise deal execution processes creating significant efficiencies and optimising returns.

Francesco Cicero is a Fintech product specialist and investor. His main interests in the digital space include collaborative ecosystems and transactional marketplaces.

Francesco joined BrickVest as Chief Product Officer, and is responsible for the company’s Product Strategy and Roadmap.
Prior to joining BrickVest, Francesco was Head of e-Trading at GFI Group, now part of BGC Partners, where he coordinated non-voice brokerage initiatives across markets and run E-credit globally. He worked between New York and London and operated across multiple national and supranational regulatory frameworks.

Francesco began his career in Italy in 1989, where he worked as a management consultant, marketing consultant and mass-media sales manager, before moving to London.

He holds an MBA from the London Business School and a degree in international business and exchange markets from IUN Naples, Italy. and is a regular lecturer on financial markets, related technologies and innovations.

20+ years' experience in strategy and digital transformation within Financial Services.

Formally COO of Markets Electronic Trading (MET) & Commodities Technology at Deutsche Bank.

More recently focusing his time on the scaling and early growth of Fintech, Proptech & Regtech start-ups.

David spent 30 years as a partner at Clifford Chance, where he was first London Head and subsequently, Global Head of Capital Markets. David advised financial institutions, sovereign governments, major corporations, municipalities and supranationals. He has been involved in numerous debt issues and other high-profile transactions in both developed and emerging markets. He has significant experience in the Nordic, CEE/Baltics and Emerging Markets, as well as in the sovereign and public sector.

A respected authority, David is consistently recognised as a top practitioner in his field by all of the Legal Directories such as Chambers & Partners, and appears in the Legal-500 Hall of Fame.

Oliver is an experienced publisher and wholesale financial markets media executive with 25 years' experience in developed and emerging economies. In his former role at Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, Oliver launched and managed publications, research and insight products and large-scale conferences covering multiple asset classes and geographies. Latterly, Oliver ran the wholesale banking marketing team for a GCC-based bank. 

Jean-Marc recently concluded his 26 year tenure at HSBC, where he was initially responsible for a number of European Syndicate roles before becoming Global Head of Syndicate and then Global Co-Head of Debt Capital Markets. Responsible for the firm’s global franchise, he was involved in numerous debt issuances and other high-profile transactions across the globe and across a variety of issuers and products. His most recent role was Vice Chairman, Capital Markets, where he focused on selected high value clients and geographies in addition to leading HSBC's Capital Markets Technology strategy globally.

Jean-Marc was a Board member at the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) for 5 years, and its Deputy Chair from May 2018 to July 2022.

Bryan has enjoyed a long and varied career in finance, principally with HSBC, in senior positions across capital markets and banking. Between 2011 and 2015 he was HSBC’s Global Head of Debt Capital Markets before becoming Group Treasurer and Head of Asset, Liability and Capital Management in early 2015 where he oversaw the Group’s over US$2tr balance sheet. His most recent role was Global Head of Client Coverage, overseeing over 1.5 million customers across all regions, and leading several key client experience digitisation projects in foreign exchange and lending. During his career, Bryan has participated and advised HSBC’s Group Management Board, Executive Committee and Risk Management Committee.

Patrick Schartner is an experienced markets professional. He started his career working in Foreign Exchange Sales at Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley. In 2005, Patrick joined HSBC where he has held several senior sales management roles including head of FX Insitutional Sales Europe, head of Institutional Sales for Switzerland across all products and co head of Macro Sales in EMEA (FX, Rates and EM).

Patrick holds a degree in Business Management from Hautes Études Commerciales in Lausanne.

A seasoned CEO and qualified accountant with a track record of creating rapid growth across several sectors. He has been directly involved in creating five successful exits, four of which were in the healthcare sector.

Throughout his career, John’s strategic insight, entrepreneurial and creative flair, and innate ability to build strong board level teams have enabled him to create over £150m of shareholder value through top and bottom line growth throughout the economic cycle. John’s experience of leading MBO and MBI bids has led to him raising offers of a combined value of over £200m from private equity investors for a variety of potential acquisitions.

In recent years he has been invited to join the board of businesses in a Non Executive capacity by investors and founders alike, including BGF, Living Bridge, Gresham House & Maven Capital.

He also Chairs Credentially.io, which is backed by Triple Point, Steyn Capital, Pembroke Capital and Hambro Perks and has recently launched his own venture builder, Lovelace Ventures.