Equipped Appoints Costa Barakos as Chief Operating Officer to Accelerate Growth and Innovation

Equipped has appointed Costa Barakos as Chief Operating Officer, strengthening the company’s leadership team as it continues its rapid growth and deepens its partnerships across the financial services sector.

Costa brings over 18 years of international financial services experience across banking and asset management.

Recently, Costa played a pivotal role in the operational transformation of Hamburg Commercial Bank, a Cerberus Portfolio Company, including supporting the build-out and oversight of boutique asset manager Klarphos. Prior to this, he was a member of Cerberus’s Value Creation Team, where he led key value-creation and transformation initiatives.

Earlier in his career, he held senior roles within a global investment bank and a leading strategy consultancy, delivering strategic change and performance-improvement programmes for financial institutions.

As COO of Equipped, Costa will oversee operational strategy, delivery excellence, and the continued development of Equipped’s AI and automation-driven platform in response to growing market demand. His appointment reflects Equipped’s commitment to investing in senior leadership to support scale, product innovation, and client success.

Commenting on his appointment, Costa said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Equipped at such an exciting stage in its evolution. Equipped’s vision for transforming operational performance through AI and automation resonates strongly with my experience. I look forward to helping drive the next phase of growth and deliver even greater impact for our clients.”

Ed Green, CEO of Equipped, added: “Costa’s appointment marks an important milestone for Equipped. His experience in operational transformation and scaling complex organisations will be instrumental as we continue to grow and enhance our platform. We are delighted to welcome him to the team.”