 |
|
|
With our birthday falling on the 7th, March is always a special month at Zopa. But the appointment of a new CEO made this month even more special than usual. Zopa has been CEO-less for a while now, and it's great to finally get someone on board. Below we unveil this latest addition to The Zopa Team and give him a good grilling about his background, where he sees Zopa going, and his views on British Formula 1 drivers.
|
 |
- 7,692 new members joined, pushing the number of Zopa members past the 140,000 barrier
- Borrowers were given the option of fast-tracking their loans and getting their money even quicker - good news for borrowers in a hurry, and for lenders too, as it'll mean their money spends less time in processing
- Zopa's backers invested another $12.9 million to help further develop the UK site and get Zopa launched in the US
- Zopa followed in the footsteps of firms such as Google, eBay and Skype by winning the prestigious Red Herring award
- There were articles about Zopa in The International Herald Tribune, The Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, The Independent, and pieces on the BBC World Service and BBC2's Working Lunch.
|
|
 |
Next month our main focus is going to be on improving the lending process:
- We'll be simplifying the lending screens
- The Lending Offers page will be made more manageable
- And there'll be a whole host of other improvements as well.
|
|
|
We were looking for someone to oversee Zopa's global expansion. Ideally they'd have over 30 years' experience in the world of finance, a track record of running internet-based lending companies, be able to speak at least 5 languages, and have some sort of alliteration in their name. Thankfully, we happened across Doug Dolton and knew straightaway he was the right person for the job.
Welcome to Zopa, Doug. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm 49 years old, with a 14 year-old son and a 25 year-old married daughter. I live in Mill Valley, California, just 4 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, and just 7 miles from a great British pub called the Pelican Inn.
Not too shabby a location then. What's on your CV?
I started as a bank clerk when I graduated university, and went on to work in pretty much every part of a bank. More recently I ran Chela Education Financing, the fastest-growing student loan company in the US, before setting up a financial services consultancy.
When did you first hear about Zopa?
Some friends told me all about it in Summer 2006, and I subsequently met Richard (Duvall, Zopa's founder). I was very excited about the concept, and the efficiency and transparency it brings to the financial services marketplace.
Have you met any Zopa members yet?
Yes - I was fortunate enough to meet the many members who came by our London office on our second birthday. It was great to be able to chat with them and hear what they had to say about their Zopa experiences.
So where do you see Zopa in 5 years' time?
As the leading provider of investment opportunities and lending products in the world.
Amen to that. Now rumour has it you're a bit of a petrolhead...
My fathers fault – he was always playing with some car or another when I was growing up. I love riding motorcycles and driving boats, and my prize possession is a 1954 Austin-Healey 100/4 that my brother and I restored.
Sounds nice. Now, the all-important question – Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill?
Nige, for sure.
If only for the moustache. Great chatting to you Doug.
|
|
 |
|
As part of our birthday celebrations we asked you to write one sentence about anything that was on your mind. Nearly 500 of you wrote back to us, and thanks to everyone who did.
The messages were a real mixed bag: there were suggestions, complaints, birthday greetings, poems, quotes, salmon recipes and a request for next week's lottery numbers. We enjoyed reading all of them, and everything you wrote has been noted and will help shape the way Zopa grows.
|
|
|
On 22nd April, two members of the Zopa community are going head-to-head in the streets of London for charity. There'll be blood, sweat, tears and blisters, as Zopa lender (and TV star) Pete Cuff takes on Zopa Team Member Adrian in a 26-mile test of endurance. OK, there'll be 30,000 other people running with them in this year's London Marathon, but the focus will undoubtedly be on this intriguing duel between 2 athletes at the peak of physical fitness.
So guys, first things first which charities are you running for and how can people donate?
Adrian: Asthma UK. I've suffered from Asthma my entire life, and when I was a kid these guys kept me breathing. You can donate through my fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/trippyade.
Pete: Sense – a charity who provide very valuable support to deafblind children and their families. Have a look at my online sponsorship page at www.justgiving.com/theladsrunlondon2007 – thanks in advance.
Hows the training going?
Adrian: OK at the moment. It's been a bit tough as I'm in my final year at University and the work is really piling up, but it's a good break from the books. I'm going down to Cornwall next week to do some hill training.
Pete: I try to go training at least 3 times a week. My usual routine is a couple of 6-10 mile runs during the week, and one 12-15 mile session at the weekend. At this stage, I am dreading how close the marathon is getting, but the anticipation is growing with each passing day!
What time are you aiming for?
Adrian: I'm heading for less than 4 hours, although I'm keeping that as conservative as possible so it's less daunting mentally.
Pete: I'm aiming for 3hrs 30mins, which is ambitious for my first ever marathon, but I've been finishing half marathons in under 1hr 40mins so it could be possible....
So who do you think's going to win out of you two?
Adrian: Can I cheat?
Pete: I'm sure it'll be close. Besides, I'm more worried about my nipples - I've heard some nasty rumours about what 26.2miles of chafing can do.....
Tune in to BBC 1 on 22nd April to see how Adrian and Pete fare. |
|
 |
March was not an amazing month for usernames if we're honest, with creativity levels at an all-time low. Things were so bad that for a while we were considering giving the Username of the Month crown to the member who went for the far-from-inspired zopaname2007. But there were a couple of good names to emerge this month, and one of them was...
poppymoon
A nice name, and a deserving winner of March's Username of the Month. An iPod shuffle is on the way to the member who thought it up. |
|
|
As part of our birthday celebrations, we held a massive game of Pass the Parcel. 10 lucky members won iPod shuffles:
CashForHire
WendyB
ukwealth
r-dragon
Linday
jonfrancis
daza4
JPZopa
ginny£
delp
And they were all delighted to win. WendyB (pictured), a 59 year-old Grandma from the New Forest, said she'd "wanted one for a long time but didn't think it was justified – now I've got one with no guilt involved!" CashForHire wrote to say it would help improve the commute between his job at a London-based management consultancy and the house he shares with his wife, two daughters and a miscellany of pets in Cambridgeshire. And r-dragon (pictured) said he was rushing straight off to download Dark Side of the Moon to listen to at the gym. So even if you didn't win, you can rest easy in the knowledge that the shuffles all went to good homes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
