The team
The people who put their name to the warranty.
A standard that pays out when it is wrong only works if someone is accountable for it. This is who that is: the board, the executive and the advisors behind Data Safe Solutions.
The only company we can find anywhere in the world that warrants the outcome and guarantees permanent, irretrievable data destruction.
A new standard nobody has yet been able to match, backed by £10 million of professional indemnity insurance.
Leadership
Board, executive and advisors
Between them, the people below have built, scaled and exited businesses across construction, financial services, retail, telecoms, health technology and regulated IT. They are the governance behind a claim that carries a financial consequence.
Larry Embra MBE
Chairman
Entrepreneur and experienced board leader, founder of MBE Construction (£30M turnover) and co-founder of a £750M property group. Awarded an MBE for charitable services and served 21 years as a Justice of the Peace. Provides governance, strategic oversight and trusted leadership for high-growth security-critical operations.
Chris Littlewood
Co-Founder & CEO
Serial founder with 20+ years in regulated IT, data security, NHS digital transformation, and enterprise service delivery. Former IT sector Sales Director leading major public-sector accounts. Drives DSS’s rigorous frameworks, innovation, and compliance-first operational execution. Builds core client and partner relationships to drive commercial strategy and future growth.
Derek Johnston
Co-Founder & Director
Co-founder and operations specialist with deep experience in IT asset management, regulated data destruction and ISO-certified delivery. Over 20 years of senior leadership in financial services. Oversees end-to-end service execution, ensuring safe, compliant, scalable projects for enterprise and public-sector clients. Focused on efficiency, quality and international roll-out.
Peter Keith
Executive Director
Commercial business leader and entrepreneur with 35+ years building, scaling and exiting businesses across retail, real estate, insurance, finance and education. Founder and Chairman of Real Finance Group, and former co-founder and CEO of Stationery Box, which grew to more than 120 stores before its sale. Brings expertise in corporate structure, funding, transactions, governance and strategic growth.
Simon Reynolds
Fractional CFO · FCA
Chartered Accountant and senior finance leader with 18+ years across corporate finance and private equity-backed businesses. Completed 30+ transactions and raised over €550M in long-term funding, leading acquisitions, integrations and exit readiness at premium EBITDA multiples. Provides financial leadership across capital structuring, investor readiness and scalable financial governance.
Rafal Gorczynski
Chief Technology Officer
Architect of patented, cloud-native, compliance-first platforms used across NHS, government and enterprise clients. Leads engineering, product and cybersecurity, delivering automated lifecycle control and sovereign data architectures. Ensures DSS technology remains scalable, resilient and audit-ready.
Mark Ryan
Principal Strategic Advisor
Over 30 years scaling high-growth businesses across fintech, telecoms, private equity and digital. Former Caudwell Group leader driving a £1.45Bn exit; founding Chairman and seed investor in The Hut Group. Currently CEO of My Medical Gateway, a first-mover digital health-tech platform. Advises on strategic growth, commercial excellence, partnerships and enterprise-scale expansion.
Louise Ryan
Chief People Officer
20+ years in strategic people leadership, talent strategy, organisational development and leadership design across tech, fintech, telecoms, retail, hospitality and banking. Former senior leader at Dixons Stores Group, THG, Caudwell Group and Barclays. Builds high-performance teams, scalable people systems and culture aligned to rapid growth.
Paul Kallee-Grover MBE
Non-Executive Director
Senior board advisor with 25+ years supporting growth, transformation and governance across public and private sectors. Brings expertise in strategic planning, international partnerships, risk management and executive decision-making. Provides independent challenge, commercial insight and trusted counsel, helping leadership teams strengthen governance and drive sustainable long-term value.
Talk to us
Ask any of us the four questions
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