Dufrain appoints Alex Meakin as first CFO

Analytics consultancy Dufrain has appointed Alex Meakin as its first ever Chief Financial Officer. He joins from the same role at a private equity backed technology services business.

Dufrain is at a pivotal point in its development. Founded in 2010, the company recently received an investment from private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners, as part of a management buy-out. In preparation for a new phase of growth backed by that investment, the firm recently installed technology entrepreneur Mark Fowle as Chairman.

Now, Dufrain has followed that up, with the creation of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role. The first person to hold the position will be Alex Meakin – an experienced professional services figure, who joins Dufrain’s Board of Directors, and will work closely with Chief Executive Officer Joseph George and Chief Customer Officer Gerry Goodwin to play a key role in the effective running of the business’ finance, governance and operations functions.

Dufrain CEO George commented, “Alex brings with him a wealth of experience and I’m looking forward to working closely with him throughout this period of growth for Dufrain. His diverse background in a wide range of senior finance roles as well as his keen interest in data and analytics makes him a great fit for the company, especially as such during such a pivotal and exciting period of growth for us. I’m confident he’ll be a real asset to our senior team, providing insight and knowledge from previous roles at PE backed companies.”

Dufrain is a UK-headquartered consultancy helping customers around the world across a wide range of industries. The firm helps clients harness data, gain valuable insights and make better informed decisions, while optimising data to drive and grow businesses.

Meakin joins Dufrain from Brookson Group, a private equity backed, technology enabled services business. As CFO there, he was responsible for M&A, debt financing, financial planning and analysis and due diligence. He also successfully led the company through a sale to People 2.0 in May 2022. Dufrain will hope that his experience from this role at a private equity backed company will enable him to help fulfill Dufrain’s growth plans, following the investment from Phoenix Equity Partners.

Prior to his work with Brookson Group, Meakin’s two-decade career also saw him hold senior finance roles at Thomas Cook, Manchester Airport and Barclays. He began his career as a design and software engineer, before qualifying as a chartered accountant with PwC.

Speaking on his new challenge, Meakin noted, “Dufrain has seen huge growth over the last year, and its ability to deliver excellent outcomes for clients as well as an unrivalled internal culture attracted its investment from Phoenix back in July. It’s such an exciting time to join the team, and I’m looking forward to working with Joseph and the whole board to deliver on the ambitious growth plans already in the pipeline.”