• Alan Smith has been appointed managing director of One4all UK –
• Smith is to lead the company behind the UK’s leading multi-retailer gift card into the next stage of growth

ALAN Smith has been appointed UK managing director of the company behind the UK’s leading multi-retailer gift card, One4all Gift Cards, ahead of the next stage of the firm’s growth.

Smith brings with him over 20 years of experience working in the payments industry, and spent almost five years working as head of payments and banking for One4all’s exclusive retail partner, the Post Office, where he was responsible for the delivery and growth of the business’ financial services products.

One4all Gift Cards saw sales surge 23% year on year in 2016, and Smith is to spearhead strategies for future growth, with particular emphasis on developing One4all Gift Cards’ digital presence and online sales channels, as the company looks to innovate in these areas.

Smith has guided a number of other leading businesses within the banking and payments sector, having worked on the management team responsible for launching Accertify in Europe, following its acquisition by Amex.

Commenting on his appointment, Smith said: “I’m delighted to be joining the One4all team. Having been responsible for prepaid and gift cards during my time at the Post Office, I am already extremely familiar with One4all Gift Cards – and the product’s strengths and future potential.

He continues: “One4all has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and its profile and sales continue to soar here in the UK. I am looking forward to ensuring its continued success and growth, and to building upon its established position as the UK’s leading multi-retailer gift card. In 2016, One4all’s online sales increased more significantly than those made via any other sales channel, and there is still so much more scope to grow this area further to meet the rapidly rising demand we are seeing from customers.”

Smith was also a member of the Payments Systems Regulator’s Payments Strategy Forum, an industry-wide forum leading a process to identify, prioritise and help deliver initiatives where it is necessary for the UK payments industry to work together to promote collaborative innovation.

He also remains as an ambassador for the Emerging Payments Association, a community for payments industry professionals from the UK’s most progressive payments companies.

Michael Dawson, One4all Group CEO and founder, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Alan to the team. With over 20 years’ experience, he lives and breathes the payments industry, and we are especially thrilled to be inviting someone who is already so familiar with our business into the senior management team.

“While Alan was at the Post Office he was instrumental in enabling us to maximise the success of that partnership, so we are looking forward to him being able to have an even greater impact on the business – this time from the inside.”

The One4all Gift Card is the market-leading, multi-retailer gift card, popular for the choice it offers customers. Gift cards are available to buy from Post Offices nationwide or online, and can be loaded with anything from £10 to £400.

The One4all Gift Card is currently accepted in store and online at more than 50,000 outlets across the UK.

For more information visit www.one4allgiftcard.co.uk