Meet the Strategic Partnerships team

At Funding Circle, partnerships are essential to helping us reach as many small businesses as possible. Specialising in our Enterprise Partnerships, Fran and the Strategic Partnerships team use our innovative technology to offer Funding Circle finance options through our partners’ websites, making it even simpler for customers to apply for a loan with us. Here, we take a closer look at the team members to learn a little bit more about their background and what their roles entail.

Fran Warrington – Head of Strategic Partnerships

Fran leads the Partnerships team, and has done for four of her five years at Funding Circle. Fran oversees all elements of the channel, having previously run both the Referral Partnerships and Strategic Partnerships teams, and was instrumental in launching Funding Circle’s embedded finance API and the team that delivered it to partners.

Outside of her core role, Fran is passionate about championing women in Fintech, having chaired the Women@FC and Fintech Women groups. She was also recognised as a winner in the Standout 45 and Rising Star categories of the Women In Fintech Powerlist 2021/2.

Alex Austin – Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager

Alex has been with at Funding Circle for seven years, and was instrumental to the growth of the Broker team before he moved into the Strategic Partnerships team to deliver the embedded finance API to partners. Alex leads the Accountancy Referrals division, as well as the relationships with our largest strategic partners.

Alongside his day to day responsibilities, Alex has been been involved in a number of Circler-led groups, currently sitting as a Co-Chair of Women@FC, and has been recognised multiple times for championing culture within Funding Circle.

Benjamin Sogunle – Business Development Executive

Benjamin has been with Funding Circle for over two years, initially working as a Support Executive and later as a FlexiPay Account Executive, before joining the Partnerships team. In his current role as one of our Partner Business Development Executives, Benjamin focuses on building strong relationships with partners, predominantly accountants. His goal is to assist these partners in securing funding for their small business clients, playing a pivotal role in Funding Circle’s mission to support and empower small businesses.

Sunaina Bopanna – Business Development Executive

Sunaina boasts a four-year tenure at Funding Circle, having previously worked in roles such as Investor Relations Executive, Sales and Support Executive, and FlexiPay Account Executive. In her current capacity as a Partner Business Development Executive, Sunaina is instrumental in fostering partnerships, particularly with accountants, to facilitate funding solutions for small businesses. Her partner relationships provide a key contribution to Funding Circle’s mission of supporting small business growth.