Knowledge Bank has hired Laura Smith as sales and marketing manager, with the criteria search platform planning to take on more staff this year as it expands.

Smith joins the fintech firm from specialist lender Fleet Mortgages where she spent six years in its sales and marketing department.

The platform is also looking to recruit a sales director as well as a variety of other roles such as full stack engineers, database engineers, DevOps engineers and telephone business development managers.

Knowledge Bank says it has experienced sharp growth since it was launched in 2017, adding that this round of hires follows the acquisition of a significant shareholding in the firm by businessman Ying Tan in December. Tan founded the brokerage Dynamo in 2006, which he left last May and is currently chairman of Knowledge Bank.

Knowledge Bank founder and chief executive Nicola Firth says: “Laura brings a wealth of experience to the role and we’re thrilled to have her on board at this stage in our growth.

“Her appointment kicks off a rapid expansion plan, and the next year will be a pivotal one for Knowledge Bank as we grow our team and launch a truly revolutionary suite of products for both brokers and lenders. Innovation is in our DNA and the time is right for us to scale up.

“Now we are in a unique position in the market place to be able to utilise what we have built and captured so far to push the boundaries even further within the mortgage fintech space.”

Knowledge Bank’s Smith adds that the “platform is essential for both lenders and brokers in this age”