Rimbal Appoints AI Entrepreneur Simon Black as CCO to Scale Intelligent IFA Infrastructure

Rimbal, the parent company of the ValidPath IFA network, has appointed Simon Black as Chief Commercial Officer to lead its expansion into AI-driven financial infrastructure. For fintech professionals, this move signals a pivot toward "intelligent infrastructure" in the UK wealth management sector, aiming to scale independent advice through automated, compliant technology frameworks.

What was announced

Rimbal has named Simon Black as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). The appointment is part of a broader leadership expansion that recently included Brian Wagner joining as Chief Technology Officer. Black is tasked with driving the growth and commercialisation of the Rimbal platform, which currently provides infrastructure for over 300 independent financial advice (IFA) firms across the United Kingdom. His remit includes the launch of new service propositions designed to help financial advisers integrate practical and responsible AI applications into their workflows.

Furthermore, Black will oversee the expansion of the platform into new market segments, specifically targeting fintechs and other operators looking to enter the financial advice space. Black brings more than 25 years of experience in building and scaling technology-led businesses. His career includes roles at major software firms including IBM, HP, and Autonomy, as well as leadership positions at the enterprise automation platform Bizagi, where he led international expansion. He also co-founded the AI firm Awaken Intelligence, scaling it to a multimillion-pound business before it merged with a US counterpart to form Creovai, which was subsequently acquired by the AI platform Capacity. This background in AI, technology, and operational scaling is intended to support Rimbal’s goal of building an "operating system" for the financial advice sector that enables firms to deliver better client outcomes at scale.

"AI is transforming how independent financial advice will be delivered, and we are building the operating system and intelligent infrastructure to enable independent financial advice firms to deliver better client outcomes — compliantly, efficiently and at scale — now and into the future."

Angus MacNee, CEO of Rimbal.

The companies involved

Rimbal is a technology and financial services group that operates as the parent entity for ValidPath, an award-winning network for Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs). The firm focuses on providing the underlying infrastructure—ranging from compliance to technology—that allows independent firms to operate. ValidPath itself is an established player in the UK IFA market, supporting hundreds of firms with regulatory and operational support. The broader ecosystem mentioned in the appointment includes several major technology entities where Simon Black gained his experience. IBM is a global technology giant with a significant presence in the UK, frequently involved in large-scale banking and AI innovation projects. HP is another major hardware and software provider with a long history in the enterprise sector. Bizagi is known for its enterprise automation and business process management platform, while Autonomy was a high-profile UK software firm specialising in unstructured data analysis. Capacity, which acquired Creovai, operates as an AI-powered support automation platform. These backgrounds highlight the shift in the IFA sector from traditional administrative support toward sophisticated, AI-led enterprise technology.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has followed the broader integration of AI within the financial services landscape, particularly involving Rimbal’s technology partners. We recently covered how IBM Joins MEBIS 2026 as Title Sponsor in Dubai, Advancing AI-powered Banking Innovation, reflecting the firm's ongoing push into automated financial systems. Additionally, our reporting on SACOMBANK Modernizes Core Banking with Temenos and IBM to Power 13 Million Daily Transactions illustrates the scale at which these technology providers are operating within the global banking and advice sectors. While Rimbal itself is a newer focus for our coverage, the technological foundations laid by firms like IBM and HP are central to the "intelligent infrastructure" Rimbal is now deploying for the UK’s independent financial advice market.

What this means

This appointment underscores a critical shift in the wealth management industry: the transition from "human-only" advice to "human-led, AI-powered" models. By hiring a CCO with deep roots in enterprise automation and AI scaling, Rimbal is positioning itself against traditional IFA networks that rely on legacy manual processes. The move puts pressure on established networks to modernise their tech stacks or risk losing firms to more efficient, high-margin platforms. The central question for the sector is whether AI can truly maintain the "independence" of advice while automating the compliance and administrative burdens that currently stifle growth for smaller firms. This move suggests that the future of the IFA market lies in who owns the most intelligent operating system.