Napier AI has appointed Kenneth Paqvalén as Chief Financial Officer as the RegTech firm prepares for its next phase of international growth. His arrival follows the company’s recent acquisition by private equity firm Marlin Equity Partners, a move that signals increased momentum behind Napier AI’s push to scale its anti-money laundering (AML) technology across global markets.
Paqvalén brings over two decades of financial leadership experience, including senior roles at Nokia, MariaDB, and most recently as CFO at Matillion. During his three-year tenure at Matillion, he played a key role in growing the business from $150 million to $1.5 billion. His background includes embedding scalable financial systems and leading high-growth companies through complex international expansions.
At Napier AI, his focus will be on building financial infrastructure to support sustained growth. This includes reinforcing existing systems to help scale the company’s core platform—Napier AI Continuum—as demand for financial crime prevention technology continues to rise.
Expansion into the US and Asia-Pacific regions is a key part of that strategy. Paqvalén will lead efforts to strengthen Napier AI’s presence in these markets by building local teams and ensuring operational readiness to support a broader customer base.
In discussing his new role, Paqvalén said: “What drew me to Napier AI was the opportunity to contribute to something that has real ethical weight. Financial crime is a complex and ever-evolving challenge and being able to play even a small part in tackling it feels genuinely meaningful. It’s an exciting time to be joining the company and I’m very much looking forward to what’s ahead.”
He added: “For companies like Napier AI, while the sophistication of criminals in their use of AI continues to become more innovative, this rapidly evolving issue provides huge opportunity for businesses to address demand and make significant strides to preventing financial crime.”
The backing from Marlin Equity Partners is expected to accelerate platform development and support a more global operating model. Marlin is known for its collaborative approach and long-term investment philosophy, particularly in software and data-driven businesses.
Napier AI CEO Greg Watson noted: “We are thrilled to welcome Kenneth on board as our new CFO at such a pivotal moment in Napier’s journey. His expertise will be key as we continue to scale operations, strengthen our financial foundations and continue investing in the evolution of our platform. With global expansion already underway, his leadership will ensure we continue to grow in a sustainable and strategic way and his deep financial acumen will undoubtedly make him an invaluable addition to our leadership team as we navigate this next stage of growth.”
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