A former Daily Mail technology chief has been appointed to lead the technology, data and AI strategy of a fast-growing North West compliance software business.
Steve Homan has joined Wilmslow-headquartered The Citation Group as chief technology and data officer as the company steps up investment in AI.
He previously led a 220-strong engineering team at ecommerce delivery platform Metapack ahead of its £175m sale to Stamps.com and built a marketplace from the ground up at The Instant Group.
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Homan also spent almost four years as CIO of dmg media, where he was responsible for technology across brands and businesses including the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Metro, MailOnline and Wowcher. His career has also included senior technology positions at Fitness First and Collinson Group.
Most recently, he co-founded AI My Site to work directly with AI-native technology and explore how it could change the speed and capabilities of engineering teams.
Citation said Homan’s appointment would bring that hands-on experience into the business as it develops new AI-powered tools across its product portfolio. These include AI-assisted content creation within its eLearning platform and new features for its HR software.
He succeeds Nic Sheen, who is retiring from full-time executive work after five years with the group. Sheen joined Citation as chief technology and product officer and helped bring together its technology and product offering.
Chris Morris, CEO of The Citation Group, said: “Nic Sheen has done a brilliant job over the last five years, and as he transitions into retirement, we were looking for someone to build on that foundation.
“We’re investing heavily in AI, including expanding our dedicated AI team, and Steve is the perfect leader to drive that forward.
“He’s got a track record of building engineering teams that scale fast and deliver commercially. That’s exactly what we need to take our technology and data strategy into its next phase.”
Homan added: “There’s a lot to build on at The Citation Group – strong tech, fantastic products, and real ambition behind the growth of the last few years.
“I’ve spent time working hands-on with AI-native tooling, building first-hand fluency in how it’s reshaping what teams can deliver and at what pace. I’m looking forward to bringing that experience into a business that’s scaling as fast as The Citation Group is.”
Founded in 1995, Citation has expanded from its roots in HR and health and safety into a group offering more than 15 compliance products for SMEs.
The business now supports more than 120,000 companies across the UK, Canada and Australia and employs close to 2,000 people.
Its recent growth has included the acquisitions of payroll platform PayCaptain in June 2026, Australian workforce management business foundU in May 2025 and digital identity specialist TrustID in April 2025. HarbourVest Partners, Hg and KKR also invested in the group in early 2025.
