FirstLink is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Hargreaves as Chief Executive Officer.
With over 26 years of experience in the business data industry, including 18 years at Experian, Mark brings deep expertise in commercial, product, and strategic development. In his career he has had a particular focus on and passion for international business data for credit risk assessment, financial crime prevention, and Know Your Business (KYB) compliance.
Mark has led cross-functional teams and delivered impactful strategies across multiple industries. He brings a leadership style that combines sharp operational insight with a strong client focus, positioning him perfectly to lead FirstLink’s unique offering into a dynamic and rapidly expanding market.
“I’m excited to join FirstLink at such a pivotal time,” said Mark. “As a fresh and innovative player, we have a real opportunity to redefine how organisations verify who they do business with — helping them build trust and meet growing regulatory compliance requirements with greater ease and confidence.”
As regulatory expectations continue to rise and cross-border business increasingly becomes the norm, the demand for fast, reliable, and scalable compliance solutions will only intensify.
“I believe the future lies in empowering organisations with self-service tools that deliver key operational insights while reducing friction and cost. FirstLink is uniquely positioned to meet that need, combining trusted global data with smart technology to simplify compliance and build business confidence at scale,” Mark said.
Based in the UK with his wife Melissa and family, Mark leads an active life outside of work, enjoying tennis, skiing, swimming, singing in his local choir, and contributing to community initiatives.
FirstLink’s digital platform delivers reliable global business verification, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), supply chain verification, financial crime, and compliance solutions. We help organisations meet KYB and AML obligations through access to extensive global data and streamlined tools, via a user-friendly portal or API. FirstLink enables smarter, faster, and safer business decisions across borders.