Smartnews loses its third CEO

INTERNET financial information company Smartnews has lost its third chief executive officer in less than a year, with the departure of Jason Willoughby after barely two months in the job.

Smartnews has moved quickly to replace Mr Willoughby, who left last week, appointing Brendan Poots who has played a management consultancy role at the company.

Mr Willoughby was previously a stockbroker at Hartley Poynton.

Smartnews director Paul Downie said Mr Poots had been working for Poynton and Partners as a corporate adviser

Mr Downie said these changes were all part of the young business’s growth strategy.

Smartnews was put together by a group of investors including Caroline de Mori and Mr Downie from Turnbull Porter Novelli.

Its core business is to provide a link between everyday investors and the stock market by

e-mailing up to the minute market news to its members.

“Brendan has been doing the business plans and marketing plans for Smartnews so he knows the business inside out,” Ms de Mori said.

“The staff like him and it’s been a very smooth transition, Smartnews hasn’t missed a beat.”

Sanfords is now hosting all of Smartnews’ IT and Ms de Mori claims all the IT problems were ironed out over Christmas and January.

“We’ve just got our nose to the grindstone to increase the client base now,” Ms de Mori said.