Oakam – the digital micro-lender for the UK’s unbanked and underbanked consumers – has appointed Julie Haugen (pictured above) as its new chief product and marketing officer.

Julie was previously the head of digital strategy and customer experience at Oakam, where she played an instrumental role in the digital transformation of the business.

In her new position, Julie will help to drive customer-led digital product innovation through a closer alignment of Oakam’s marketing and products team.

Julia has a depth of experience of leading the product development agenda for large global technology brands, including Skype, Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

She has also played a central role in Oakam’s digital growth over the past two years, including the launch of its award-winning mobile app in 2015 and the subsequent rollout of Oakam Grow this year.

Oakam Grow offers a series of money-saving rewards to influence or nudge the development of positive financial habits, such as on-time loan repayment.

This move has already resulted in a 16% improvement in on-time repayment for Oakam and has enhanced its underwriting and risk management algorithms.

“Marketing is no longer just about clever ads, but a critical push-pull tool offering data that helps us better understand our customers’ needs and, in response, deliver innovative solutions that create value and help them get ahead,” said Julie, chief product and marketing officer at Oakam.

“Bringing together our marketing and product functions will ensure that the customer remains at the heart of what we do as we continue to expand and enhance our digital proposition.”

Julie also aims to bring larger loans at lower rates for accredited customers to market as well as access to emergency funds.

Additional goals for Julie’s team this year include achieving a 200% increase in customer applications, doubling app usage among active customers and expanding digital transactions by 50%.