WiFi SPARK appoints new members to its board of directors

Exeter, UK, July 2020

WiFi SPARK’s board of directors led by Matt O’Donovan, founder and CEO, has appointed two new members of the executive team, growing the board to a team of five. Promoting from within, Matt has appointed Pierre Ponsin, formerly WiFi SPARK’s Development Manager, as Chief Information Officer, and Howard Hooks, formerly WiFi SPARK’s Head of Finance, as Chief Financial Officer. 

Pierre Ponsin joined WiFi SPARK in 2018. He has 20 years of industry experience, specialising in Development, Quality Assurance and Governance with ITIL and ISTQB qualifications. One of Pierre's strengths lies in adapting internationally recognised software development best practice and adapting it to the needs of the business. This enables him to lead his teams to deliver high quality, scalable and maintainable products efficiently. Pierre has many years of experience working with BSI Standards (ISO9001 and ISO27001).

During his time at WiFi SPARK, Pierre has restructured the Development team and formed a department that is highly skilled and motivated, delivering innovation and quality across the SPARK® product range. Pierre is responsible for the strategic direction of software development within the organisation and also leads the Architecture Team, ensuring that the latest technology is used to underpin WiFi SPARK’s growth and to keep the Company well ahead of the competition. 

Howard Hooks joined WiFi SPARK in 2019 as the Head of Finance.  He earned his accounting qualification with a listed financial services organisation before moving on to lead finance roles in manufacturing and a listed technology company.  He is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants which reflects the wealth of experience he brings to the role.

During his time at WiFi SPARK Howard has successfully implemented WiFi SPARK’s ERP solution, fully embedding it into all of the company’s processes. As a result, Howard has delivered automation and efficiency savings to the sales ledger and purchase ledger teams.  He has also overhauled the internal reporting and budgeting process to deliver financial performance information to decision-makers quickly.

In his new role as CFO at WiFi SPARK, he will manage and control the financial health of the business. He leads a team that collectively ensures the organisation has the financial resources needed to achieve its goals. With keen attention to detail, Howard will bring his financial expertise and commercial mindset to help WiFIi SPARK to deliver to its potential.

As new members of the WiFi SPARK board, Pierre and Howard will be key members of the company’s senior management team. They will participate in setting the strategic direction of the Company as well as managing their respective teams. 

Pierre and Howard join Matt O’Donovan CEO, Dean Moody, CCO and Ian Lynch COO on the board. 

Matt O’Donovan comments, “I am very pleased to welcome Pierre and Howard to the Board, they have been excelling in their contributions to the business during their time at WiFi SPARK and they are both highly motivated by this new opportunity. They are aligned with our growth plans and will be contributing significantly to our progress in the future.”