Brian McArthur-Muscroft, Chief Financial Officer at leading global payments provider Paysafe, has been named Inspirational Finance Director of the Year at the 2017 FDs’ Excellence Awards held during a ceremony in central London today.

The awards celebrate contributions made by exceptional finance directors, as well as the lenders and advisers that serve them. The Inspirational FD of the Year award is a category that recognises the world of finance directors beyond the finance function – in inspiring teams, businesses, local communities and wider society.

Brian has been the Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Director at Paysafe Group plc since 1 January 2015. In his first year with the business, he led the largest-ever AIM rights issue, a 1.2-billion-euro acquisition, and the move to the London Stock Market’s main list which required two prospectuses within a year. In 2016, Brian oversaw the Group’s move into the FTSE 250 Index, two North American acquisitions and $50m of savings arising from the 2015 Skrill acquisition due to the integration being completed ahead of schedule.

Paysafe President and Chief Executive Officer Joel Leonoff said Brian’s leadership had been an inspiration for the teams he led and the rest of the business during a period of significant change and growth.

“This win is a well-deserved industry recognition and reflects Brian’s contribution in and beyond our business. Brian is a strong leader both internally and externally as he works aggressively to enhance the level of transparency we provide through our financial reporting, and also embodies the spirit of creativity, problem solving and determination which defines our company,” said Leonoff.

“On behalf of the Paysafe family, I’d like to extend our collective congratulations to Brian and his team for their unparalleled contribution. A very proud day for Paysafe!” added Leonoff.

Commenting on his award, Brian said: “Our reputation and our people are our most valuable assets and to me bringing trust, integrity and transparency to what we do has been a priority from the day I joined Paysafe. I’m backed by a great team that has contributed to what Paysafe is today and having our work recognised by industry peers is a great honour.”

Paysafe has more than 2,200 employees in offices around the world and the group’s full-year results issued in March showed annual revenue had surpassed the $1 billion milestone for the first time.