OneAdvanced, the sovereign AI-powered, sector-focused SaaS provider, has announced the appointment of Emma Brown as Chief Financial Officer. Brown will lead the group’s financial and commercial strategy, supporting the continued roll-out of IQ, the company’s AI-led intelligent system of work, alongside wider product innovation. She joins at a moment when the Birmingham-headquartered business is building on a multi-year transformation of its core platforms.
The appointment comes shortly after the launch of IQ, which brings together people, data and governed, sovereign AI in one connected, trusted and intelligent system. Drawing on more than thirty years of sector expertise, the platform powers intelligent workflows for organisations in business-critical and regulated industries, from health, social care and housing to education, legal, passenger transport, wholesale and logistics, and public services.
A finance leader forged in software
Brown brings more than fifteen years of experience across private equity-backed SaaS, technology, AI and data businesses. She joins from CUBE, the regulated intelligence specialist, where she served as Group Chief Financial Officer and Board Director. Her earlier career includes CFO and board positions at Medius, Talkwalker, Smartways Logistics and the healthcare software business MedicalDirector.
Her record combines financial leadership with direct involvement in business growth, operational change, mergers and acquisitions, and international expansion. That blend of deal-making and operational discipline is expected to prove valuable as OneAdvanced invests further in IQ and scales it across every sector it serves.
Brown succeeds Stephen Dews, who held the finance role through a period of considerable change for the group and has been thanked by the company for establishing company-wide foundations that continue to support its customers.
Growth built on the IQ platform
Simon Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of OneAdvanced, said the arrival marks an important stage in the company’s development. He noted that the business has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in capital over recent years to modernise the core systems on which its customers depend, and that IQ now amplifies customer impact through AI-powered workflows.
“Emma brings a powerful combination of SaaS leadership, commercial judgement and practical AI experience,” he said. “Her background in growth, acquisitions and operational transformation will be invaluable as we invest further in IQ and scale it across every sector we serve.”
The company’s current investments are aimed at establishing OneAdvanced as the UK’s number one AI workflow company, a goal Brown will help finance with a combined focus on lasting customer value and financial discipline.
Software with public purpose
Brown has pointed to the social weight of the group’s customer base as a decisive factor in her move. OneAdvanced’s clients deliver services that millions of people rely on every day, and smarter software for these organisations translates into better outcomes for patients, learners and tenants.
“I have seen first-hand what it takes to scale a software business, and how governed AI, embedded in the flow of work, can transform the way teams operate,” Brown said. “My focus will be on making sure we invest in the opportunities that create lasting value for customers, delivering them with financial discipline and operational rigour.”
She added that she is looking forward to working with Walsh and the wider team to turn the company’s ambition into results, with sharper investment and clear-eyed execution guiding the next phase of OneAdvanced’s growth.