Advent-backed business support services firm Williams Lea appoints Hanks as global CFO

• Previously, Hanks worked at Clarivate PLC
• Also, Hanks is the former CFO for BDP International and Infogroup
  Williams Lea serves clients in 20 countries across four continents and has 5,500 employees worldwide

Business support services firm Williams Lea has named Richard Hanks as global chief financial officer.

Williams Lea is backed by Advent International.

In his new role, Hanks will oversee Williams Lea’s global finance function and will report to the company’s CEO Clare Hart.

Hanks comes to Williams Lea from Clarivate PLC. While at Clarivate, Hanks led the carveout from Thomson Reuters Legal, optimized financial leadership and led the company’s 2019 IPO.

Prior to that, Hanks served as CFO for BDP International and Infogroup and was formerly chief commercial officer for Dow Jones. He is a chartered accountant and holds a B.A. (with Honors) in industrial economics from Nottingham University Business School.

“Richard’s broad and global financial experience coupled with his proven track record leading innovative companies will be extremely valuable to Williams Lea as we work to deliver our transformation and growth objectives and help our clients support more digital operations and a more virtual workforce,” said Hart in a statement.

Williams Lea serves clients in 20 countries across four continents and has 5,500 employees worldwide.