Meet Our Senior Team
Sylvia Smit
Founder & Group CEO
Sylvia had a successful exit of a company she co-founded back in 2014. She has now co-founded a new company AITIS with the aim to provide innovative AI and technology solutions to address real challenges in different verticals. She is a senior practitioner with a proven track record in delivering change in complex environments. She has significant experience in creating and delivering greenfield business and technology-driven models and projects including AI innovation. She believes in executing change through AI and technology innovation and provide risk ratings/assessments and solutions to make the world a better place.
Kim Peng Foo
Co-Founder & CEO (SG)
Kim-Peng is an experienced C-level Executive and Shareholder with a demonstrated history of working in the venture capital and high technology sectors. Skilled in Leadership Development, Team Performance, Venture Building, Technology Translation, Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a Program for Management Development focused in Business Administration and General Management from Harvard Business School.
Dr Patrick Thng
Co-Founder
As well as being a co-founder at AITIS, Patrick is the Director of Fintech and Analytics, MITB Program at Singapore Management University. He is also co-founder at a Fintech Innovation Company transforming the digital financial services industry (leasing, banking and finance). Professional qualifications include, Fellow Chartered Accountant (ICAA, Australia) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (ISACA, US).
Kevin Covington
Advisor
Kevin has over 30 years of financial services experience. Currently holds several NED positions, advisory and mentoring roles within the Fintech market. Kevin is the MD of Change Alley currently. For two consecutive years, he was ranked in the top 40 worldwide Institutional Investors Trading Technology’s most influential people.
Dr Tillman Weyde
Academic Advisor
Tillman is a Researcher and academic in Deep Machine Learning, Signal Processing, Music Informatics at City University London. Who works on analysing and processing signals (audio, images), symbolic data (language, music) and understanding and improving deep (and non-deep) neural networks.
Simon McDowell
Chief Operating Officer
Simon has a proven track record of delivering growth and shareholder value, having more than 30 years’ experience within the Capital Markets community. An empathetic, self-motivated industry veteran with the energy, enthusiasm and passion to succeed, Calm yet assured, he is trusted and respected across a wide global network, including many C-Level decision makers. Never afraid to “roll up his sleeves” if the need arises.
Simon strives to be a positive influence on others and relishes opportunities to help others, be that via mentoring, coaching, volunteering, fund-raising or just being there if you need him!
Simon strives to be a positive influence on others and relishes opportunities to help others, be that via mentoring, coaching, volunteering, fund-raising or just being there if you need him!
Sudhakar Mekathotti
Chief Technology Officer
Sudhakar is an experienced hands-on technologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience across financial services, insurance and healthcare. Sudhakar fulfilled several roles during his career starting with development to building teams and setting IT strategy. In his most recent role, he was CTO at an Investment Bank, running front office technology teams across Europe and Asia. Sudhakar has a keen interest in Algorithmic Trading, Evolutionary Algorithms, Data Analytics and Machine Learning. Sudhakar holds a Master of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Andre Smit
Managing Director AITIS BV
After 30 years of experience in the DIY industry, Andre Smit is a seasoned veteran. He has spent two decades as a store manager at one of the largest home improvement stores in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for strategy, sales, inventory management, human resources, finance, and customer relations.
Throughout the years, Andre had developed a reputation for his keen business acumen and exceptional leadership skills. He was known for his ability to inspire and motivate his team, and his strategic thinking had led to record-breaking sales and customer satisfaction levels
Throughout the years, Andre had developed a reputation for his keen business acumen and exceptional leadership skills. He was known for his ability to inspire and motivate his team, and his strategic thinking had led to record-breaking sales and customer satisfaction levels
Ellen Wilson
Head of Marketing
Ellen has spent over eight years in marketing. She has worked for global organisations, in addition to securing a Marketing Communications degree. Ellen’s a hands-on marketeer with a track record of creating and executing innovative marketing campaigns. She has worked across SEO, social media, e-commerce, email, events, product, OOH, and promotions, both in house and agency side. She is a quick, strategic thinker, whilst maintaining a creative eye.