People

Target Group employs 370 people in offices across the UK, and in Australia and New Zealand.

We are dedicated to a continuing programme of staff training and development. We invest heavily in our staff to ensure our clients receive the best service available.

Target's Board of Directors is dedicated to ensuring the Group remains client focused, abreast of market changes and ahead of the competition.

  Our Directors

Grant Hawkins
Executive Chairman

Grant joined Target in 1980 as Financial Director, in October 1985 became Chief Executive and in November 1988, Chairman. Since September 2008 Grant has held the role of Executive Chairman. Following the acquisition of insurance technology specialist Harlosh Limited in 2007, he also fulfills the role of Managing Director for Target harlosh.

Grant qualified as a chartered accountant in 1971 and joined the Sterling Credit Group, a publicly-quoted banking, finance and insurance broking group, as Group Financial Controller in 1972. He later took on full responsibility as Group Finance Director for the entire finance and accounting function, including international acquisitions, treasury, funding and corporate finance. For 10 years he also held the post of Non-Executive Director with Hyder plc. Grant is a graduate in Economics from the University of Wales.

 

David Heath
Finance Director

David was appointed Finance Director in May 1999. In addition to his role as Finance Director, David also provides financial business consultancy to clients, portfolio control and data integrity support, and securitisation advice. He originally joined Target in 1997 as Special Projects Manager.

Prior to joining Target, David worked in the Financial Services sector for 10 years holding positions of Financial Controller and Operations Manager for US Leasing (UK) Ltd and Managing Director for Portfolio Leasing Australia Ltd - both subsidiaries of the Ford Motor Company Group.

 

James Snow
CEO Target Services

James Snow leads Target Services which comprises Target Loan Servicing and Hosting Services. Prior to his appointment as CEO Target Services, in September 2008, James held the position of Strategy Director and Chief Operating Officer for Target Group with the remit focused on driving the company's strategic growth, in particular acquisitions and service innovations.

With a background in financial IT, James has in-depth knowledge of the wider financial services marketplace and how providers can underpin service with technology to achieve competitive advantage. James's experience spans over 20 years. Prior to joining Target he ran the sales and marketing division of technology leasing company, Rental Research and was National Sales Manager for Advanced Technologies International.  Earlier in his career he held a systems and software finance consultancy role for ECS International, a subsidiary of Société Générale.

 

James Rudolf
CEO Target Software

James Rudolf leads Target Software that delivers solutions for banks and finance companies, brokers and insurers on an international scale. This incorporates both Target bluechip, that delivers flexible solutions for brokers and small lenders, and Target harlosh, a well established insurance administration system provider. James has overall Group responsibility for sales, marketing and consultancy for Target Group.

Prior to his appointment as CEO Target Software in September 2008, James held the position of Sales and Marketing Director for Target Group. James previously worked in management and business solution sales in the UK and emerging markets. This gave him the ideal platform from which to develop Target’s sales and marketing strategy and to prepare for further growth across the Group.  He joined the Group in 2004.

 

Mike Stephen
Commercial Director

Mike has held various management roles within Target and was appointed to the Board as Systems Director in 1988. He became Software Development Director in 1991 and Commercial Director in 2000.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Mike's career background is in commercial systems, having gained over 25 years' experience in all aspects of software development. This has included programming, systems analysis and design, project management and implementation in a variety of different environments. Prior to joining Target in 1984, Mike worked in manufacturing, local government, utilities and building society sectors.

 

Peter Barker
Development Director

After joining Target as Development Manager, Peter was appointed Development Director in 2002. The appointment recognised Peter's achievements in restructuring Target's development department to ensure that the company provides a quality, timely service to our clients.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Peter's role at Target involves driving the development department to ensure we deliver competitive advantage to our clients through leading edge software development and proactive project management.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Peter has over 30 years' experience in the software industry. This has included running his own business and meeting the challenges of a senior management role in a large outsourcing operation.

 

Rob Evans
Consultancy Director

Rob heads Target’s Consultancy Division. His team helps clients ensure maximum return on investment from their processes and technology. He has worked with a wide range of financial services organisations – each with their own very specific challenges to overcome. Assignments have included new market entry strategies, sales and operational process reviews, regulatory impact studies, to radical forward-thinking visioning workshops.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Rob joined Target in 1988 as part of the first graduate intake and training scheme. He is graduate in mathematics from UWIST in Cardiff. A sabbatical in 1991 to Colgate Palmolive enabled Rob to gain experience in a Pan-European role as senior systems analyst responsible for the design and implementation of a European customer service system. Rob returned to Target in 1992 and progressed to spearhead new product development. He progressed to Product and Marketing Director in 1998. He established the Consultancy Division in 2006.

 

Greg Lock
Non-Executive Director

Greg Lock was appointed to the Board as non-executive director in 2001. Since leaving Cambridge 30 years ago, Greg worked until April 2000 for IBM. He has lived and worked in the USA, France, Germany and in the UK, in a career that saw him reach the most senior position attained in the IBM Corporation by a UK national. As Global General Manager, Industrial sector, he had worldwide responsibility for IBM's business with companies in the Automotive, Aerospace, Electronics, Chemical, Petroleum and other Manufacturing Industries, a division that accounted for approximately 15% of IBM's worldwide revenues.

He served as a member of the IBM Worldwide Management Council, and as a Governor of the IBM Academy of Technology. Greg serves as Executive Chairman of Orchestream Holdings and a non-executive director of SurfControl PLC and Nexagent Limited. In addition he is an active private investor in, and supporter of, start-up companies and an advisor to a number of private equity investment companies.

He holds an MA in Natural Sciences from Churchill College Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce.

 

To learn more call +44 (0) 29 2030 1401 or enquire online.