Centeca hires former Moneypenny chief Jesper With-Fogstrup as group CEO
Co-founder Lee Streets moves to group chair at the Chesterfield-based owner of Evolution Funding and Click Dealer, which says it is using AI to develop its car finance and retail platform
- Previous role: group chief executive, Moneypenny, from December 2024 (BusinessCloud)
- Earlier: chief executive of property technology company Smoove, which Centeca says grew revenue 37% under him before its sale to PEXA
- At HSBC: managing director and global head of digital as a channel, covering digital services for 38 million customers in 16 markets
- At Compare the Market: chief operating officer and managing director; part of the team that secured investment from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 2018
- Centeca brands: Evolution Funding, Click Dealer, Motion Finance, Creditas Financial Solutions and Automotive Compliance
Centeca is moving the co-founder who built its brokerage into the chair and handing day-to-day control to an outside executive whose record is in consumer digital services at a bank, a price-comparison site and a call-answering firm that added AI agents. That points the group toward selling software and online car buying to dealers and manufacturers, where it competes with car marketplaces for the buyer’s first search.
“Customer expectations are shaped by the digital services they use every day, whether that’s booking an Uber in a few taps or using ChatGPT to research a purchase.”Jesper With-Fogstrup, group chief executive, Centeca
Centeca, the automotive commerce group formerly called Evolution Funding Group, announced the appointment of Jesper With-Fogstrup as group chief executive on 12 October 2026. Centeca said it works with more than 5,500 transacting retailers and handles over £6.5bn of loan advances a year through its platform.
Lee Streets, a co-founder who led the business from a motor finance brokerage to its current shape, moves from group chief executive to group chair and will stay involved in the group’s long-term direction. Both appointments are subject to approval by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Growth and acquisitions over the past six years were supported by two rounds of investment, first from LDC and then from Carlyle’s Europe Technology Partners V fund. The company says it is now using AI to bring finance, retail, compliance and data into one platform for dealers, manufacturers and lenders. Its Evolution Funding technology powers Cinch’s online finance, according to Centeca, and Click Dealer’s ChatGPT car-search app sends buyers to dealers’ own websites rather than to a marketplace.
With-Fogstrup joins from Moneypenny, the Wrexham-rooted customer service business backed by ECI Partners, where he was group chief executive and the company introduced AI voice agents and receptionists alongside its staff. He announced his departure on LinkedIn in early October, BusinessCloud reported.
Sources
- Centeca, “Automotive commerce platform Centeca appoints Jesper With-Fogstrup as Group CEO”, press release, 12 October 2026. https://www.centeca.com/news/automotive-commerce-platform-centeca-appoints-jesper-with-fogstrup-as-group-ceo/
- IT Brief UK, “Centeca names Jesper With-Fogstrup as Chief Executive”, 12 October 2026. https://itbrief.co.uk/story/centeca-names-jesper-with-fogstrup-as-chief-executive
- BusinessCloud, “Moneypenny CEO steps down ahead of new role”, 4 October 2026. https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/moneypenny-ceo-steps-down-ahead-of-new-role/
