Andres Kitter from LHV Bank and Alvar Lumberg from Grünfin join Estonian roots company Lightyear

Andres Kitter will lead Lightyear's pan-European operations, while Alvar Lumberg will join the development team, focusing on building the company's global infrastructure. 

Andres Kitter is a former board member of Estonian LHV Bank. He joined the company in 2013 and held positions as a member of the bank's Board of Directors and Head of Retail Banking.

Alvar Lumberg was Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at Grünfin Estonia. He was responsible for creating and operating Grünfin's IT systems and ensuring the operation of the platform for investing in sustainable exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Grünfin ceased operations in November 2024. 

According to Martin Sokk, CEO of Lightyear, the new employees will help the startup provide people in Estonia and around the world with a better way to manage their money.

Lightyear is a UK-based fintech startup providing investment services in 22 countries across Europe. It was founded in 2020 by Estonians Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer.

In July 2022, Lightyear raised $25M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by US venture capital firm Lightspeed, with participation from other high-profile investors including Virgin Group and Richard Branson.