06 January 2026
Funding Circle appoints Sarah Whiteley as Chief Legal Officer
London, 6 January 2026 – Funding Circle, the UK’s leading SME finance platform, today announces the appointment of Sarah Whiteley as Chief Legal Officer. Sarah succeeds Lucy Vernall, who is stepping down after an eleven-year tenure with the business.
Sarah joins Funding Circle with over 20 years of legal, governance and leadership experience within the financial services sector. She most recently spent nearly a decade at Cabot Credit Management, serving over six of those years as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary. During her tenure at Cabot, she was instrumental in overseeing legal, regulatory, and compliance risk management across multiple jurisdictions, navigating complex FCA and CBI environments, and leading significant corporate initiatives, including a major group-wide governance recalibration.
Sarah’s background includes over 10 years in private practice at Clyde & Co LLP, advising listed and non-listed companies on M&A, capital raising, joint ventures, corporate governance and continuing obligations. She also holds an LLM from King’s College London and is a recent graduate of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School Artificial Intelligence Programme.
“We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the team,” said Lisa Jacobs, CEO of Funding Circle. “Her deep expertise in navigating complex risk environments and her track record in leading governance transformation will be invaluable as we continue to scale our operations and support small businesses across the UK.”
Sarah Whiteley commented: “I am thrilled to join Funding Circle at this stage of its journey and I am pleased to join a company with such a clear focus on helping small businesses win. I look forward to bringing my experience in strategic oversight and regulatory standards to support the business as it continues to innovate and grow in a fast-moving environment.”
The appointment follows the departure of Lucy Vernall, who joined Funding Circle in 2014. Over more than a decade, Lucy played a vital role in building the Legal and Compliance function, and the company’s evolution from a fintech pioneer to a listed company on the London Stock Exchange.
Lisa Jacobs added: “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Lucy for her incredible contribution to the business. She has been a core part of the Funding Circle story for eleven years, and we wish her the very best in her next chapter."
Media contact:
Leigh Rimmer
Head of Corporate Affairs
press@fundingcircle.com
+44 20 3830 1325
About Funding Circle
Funding Circle (LSE: FCH) is the UK’s leading SME finance platform. Established in the UK in 2010, Funding Circle has extended c.£16bn in credit to over 110,000 businesses in the UK.
For SME borrowers, Funding Circle provides an unrivalled customer experience, delivered through its technology and data, coupled with a human touch. Its solutions continue to help customers access the funding they need to succeed.
For institutional investors, Funding Circle provides access to an alternative asset class in an underserved market, and delivers robust and attractive returns.