Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top London based Director operating in the FinTech space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Gregory Talon
Senior Product Director of Wise
Follow Gregory Talon:
About Wise: Wise is a money transfer service allowing private individuals and businesses to send money abroad without hidden charges.
_______
Jose Galarza
Engineering Director of Wise
Jose Galarza, joined TransferWise 3 years ago. Currently works as a Tech Lead in the London Office and has been one of the engineers focusing on the migration of TransferWise to the cloud and kubernetes.
Follow Jose Galarza:
About Wise: Wise is a money transfer service allowing private individuals and businesses to send money abroad without hidden charges.
AF_initDataCallback({key: \’ds:1\'” alt=”” class=”wp-image-14850″ width=”154″ height=”152″/>Leonardo Trabuco
Senior Director of Engineering of Nubank
Leo is the CTO at DueDil, responsible for leading the engineering team and the company’s technology strategy. He joined DueDil in 2013 as a data scientist, progressing to lead an engineering team focused on the development of data products, before becoming CTO in 2015. Leo holds a PhD in Biophysics and Computational Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. While in academia, he published 20 peer-reviewed research articles, including top journals like Science and PNAS, in addition to contributing to open-source software development, training, fund raising, and working as a reviewer for 7 international scientific journals.
Follow Leonardo Trabuco:
About Nubank: Nubank is a digital bank that offers digital credit cards, transfers, and payments.
Andrew Crankshaw
Financial Director of Atomico
Based in London, Andrew has been the Finance Director at Atomico since 2008. He manages all aspects of Atomico’s fund operations and reporting, including as Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer. Andrew has 16 years of experience in the private equity and venture capital industries. Prior to joining Atomico, Andrew was employed as the Funds Controller for the British based private equity firm 3i plc where he worked within the Buyouts Division. Before this, Andrew worked at the Swedish private equity firm IK Investment Partners, looking after the fund administration and reporting for five buyout funds, and later assumed additional responsibility for the operational running, administration and board membership of the fund’s many Luxembourg-based holding companies. Andrew is a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant, has a BA Honours degree in Accountancy from Birmingham City University, is fully authorised and regulated by the FCA in the UK, and is a member of the Securities Institute by virtue of holding the Investment Administration Qualification. Andrew is a keen skier, cyclist and former rugby player. He recently cycled 400km from London to Paris and really misses the camaraderie of playing rugby, but not the broken bones that comes with it.
Follow Andrew Crankshaw:
About Atomico: Atomico is an international investment firm that focuses on helping disruptive technology companies scale globally.
Angelie Panteli
CFO & Board Director of LendInvest
Angelie is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser and has extensive experience in roles across both large global listed businesses and more recently, fast growth technology businesses. Prior to joining LendInvest, Angelie was at Blippar, the world leading augmented reality technology company. Angelie heads up our finance team and is a member of LendInvest’s Board of Directors.
Follow Angelie Panteli:
About LendInvest: LendInvest is the leading marketplace platform for property finance.
Lee Bernasconi
Director of Growth of Founders Factory
Leading the Founders Factory Growth team, Lee’s expertise in strategy, marketing, product and analytics help portfolio companies drive growth from launch through to traction and scale. Lee has previously held Senior Marketing positions at VC backed startups and international marketing agencies, also working as a business and marketing consultant for B2B & B2C companies in Mobile, FinTech, MarTech, AdTech, Property and eCommerce. With a background rooted in entrepreneurship, Lee founded a mobile ticketing startup in 2011 and a digital advertising platform for local businesses aged 19. He holds a BA (Hons) In Marketing & Management from Newcastle University.
Follow Lee Bernasconi:
About Founders Factory: Founders Factory is a global corporate-backed venture studio and accelerator.
Karen Brade
Director of Augmentum Fintech
Follow Karen Brade:
About Aberdeen Japan IT, Augmentum Fintech, HeiQ Materials: Augmentum Fintech is a FinTech fund that invests in early and later-stage FinTech companies.
David Haysey
Director of Augmentum Fintech
Follow David Haysey:
About Augmentum Fintech, Marylebone Partners: Augmentum Fintech is a FinTech fund that invests in early and later-stage FinTech companies.
Zhomart Tleuzhanov
Director – Asset Backed Finance & Securitization of Wells Fargo
Follow Zhomart Tleuzhanov:
About Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.3 trillion assets providing banking, insurance, and investments.
Matthew Hardcastle
Director & Client Development of DealCloud
Matt is one of the Client Development Directors responsible for delivering DealCloud’s expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining DealCloud Matt was an Assistant Director at Inflexion, a UK based mid-market investor currently managing £5.4bn. He originally trained as a consultant with CIL Management Consultants and holds a BA in Classics from Durham University.
Follow Matthew Hardcastle:
About DealCloud: Deal management and business development software for principal investing and M&A advisory professionals.
Jo Oliver
Director of Octopus Ventures
Jo has been a Venture Partner since 2005 and joined the team in May 2009. Having run several businesses of his own, from publishing surf books to property development, and having made numerous angel investments, including many as an Octopus Venture Partner, Jo finally got the job that he had always wanted. He is a Director in the Ventures team and is involved in the Ventures team’s investment process, portfolio management and fundraising activity. Jo currently sits on a number of the Boards of our investee companies, including: TouchType (SwiftKey); Amplience; Iovox; and Vega-Chi. He is also is a Non-Executive Director on the Titan VCT 5 Board and a member of the Investment Committee of Octopus Investments’ £1bn Specialist Finance business. Jo qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1995. He spent 7 years working as a research analyst at NatWest, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, where he was the No 1 rated equity research analyst in the European mobile telecoms sector.
Follow Jo Oliver:
About Amplience, CurrencyFair, iovox, Octopus Titan VCT, Octopus Ventures, Property Partner, Trouva: Octopus is a multi stage European venture capital investor specializing in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
Ben Chisell
Director of Product of OakNorth
Ben Chisell is Product Director at Starling Bank, a modern mobile-only bank built to help customers gain better insight into their financial lives, and give them access to all of their financial products in one place through the Starling Marketplace. Ben wants to build a bank that truly puts the customer first, and solves meaningful problems that can have a positive impact on their lives.
Follow Ben Chisell:
About OakNorth: OakNorth is the creator of the ON Credit Intelligence Suite – proven cloud software that transforms commercial lending
Adam Agius
Director, Debt Finance of OakNorth
Follow Adam Agius:
About OakNorth: OakNorth is the creator of the ON Credit Intelligence Suite – proven cloud software that transforms commercial lending
Director & Counsel EMEA Data Protection Legal team of American Express
Follow César Naveira Barrero:
About American Express: American Express is a global financial services company best known for its credit card, charge card, and traveler’s cheque businesses.
Jose Pettoruti
Director of Engineering of Currencycloud
Follow Jose Pettoruti:
About Currencycloud: Currencycloud specializes in a fully cloud-based platform for B2B cross-border payments.
Paolo Simonato
Managing Director of BlackRock
Paolo Simonato, Managing Director, is a senior member of the investment team and head of the London office for BlackRock Private Equity Partners (PEP) within BlackRock Alternatives Investors (BAI). He has primary responsibility for the sourcing, diligence and monitoring of private equity funds, secondary transactions and direct co-investments with leading private equity firms across Europe.
Follow Paolo Simonato:
About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Martin Cook
Managing Director of BlackRock
As EMEA Head of Technology & Operations, Cook is responsible for working closely with the Head of EMEA, the Chief Operating Officer and the BlackRock Executive Committee to ensure effective delivery of technology and operations within the EMEA Region. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2006, Cook spent ten years with Wall Street Systems in the design, development, and implementation of a front-to-back integrated trading system for global financial institutions, and two years in a similar role with Calypso Technology, a market-leading Derivatives Technology provider. Other industry roles included that of Assistant Treasurer at the London Office of Credit Agricole Indosuez, and the Derivatives Risk Controller at Foreign & Colonial Investment Management. Cook studied Mathematics, Economics and Physics at Palmers College, and “Institute of Bankers” professional qualifications at Thurrock Management College.
Follow Martin Cook:
About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Sandra Boss
Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Investment Stewardship of BlackRock
Sandra Boss has been a director of the Company since November 2015. Ms. Boss has served since September 2014 as an independent director of the Prudential Regulation Authority, part of the Bank of England responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of around 1,700 banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms. Ms. Boss was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, from 2005 to 2014, and a Partner from 2000.
Follow Sandra Boss:
About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Raja Hussain
Director of BlackRock
Raja Hussain, Director, is a member of the BlackRock Private Equity Partners (PEP) group within BlackRock Alternative Investors. He is responsible for performing due diligence on and monitoring private equity investments. Prior to joining BlackRock in January 2010, Mr Hussain was a senior associate in the Financial Entrepreneurs Group (private equity coverage team) within the Investment Banking division of Citi, advising on a range of mid to large cap private equity and debt investments across the EMEA region. He joined Citi in 2007. Mr Hussain began his career at Ernst & Young in 2004, where he trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant working within the Mergers and Acquisitions lead advisory team, advising on European financial services transactions. Mr. Hussain earned a BSc, honours degree, in Economics from University College London in 2003. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Follow Raja Hussain:
About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Brett Pybus
Managing Director – Head of iShares EMEA Investment and Product Strategy of BlackRock
Follow Brett Pybus:
About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Ilya Kondrashov
Co-founder & Managing Director of MarketFinance
Having spent three years working within one of the world’s largest legacy financial institutions, Ilya was exposed to the outdated service banks were providing to private businesses. He realised that business owners felt let down by their bank, and set out to build a better alternative. He also represents MarketInvoice in its efforts to promote transparency and fairness within the alternative finance industry, sitting on multiple compliance and regulatory bodies including the P2PFA.
Follow Ilya Kondrashov:
About MarketFinance: MarketFinance is a FinTech company providing business finance solutions that help companies grow.
Drew Graham
Director, Digital Strategy of Barclays
Drew is a serial entrepreneur turned banker; a sheep in wolf’s clothing. He joined Barclays as Director of Digital Strategy in April 2019. He was previously the Head of Platform for the Standard Chartered Virtual Bank in Hong Kong. He joined Standard Chartered as Director of Fintech Strategy and Engagement in 2016. Before renting his soul, he founded and led a financial inclusion payments company in Indonesia, a financial services Cloud services company in Hong Kong, an oil and gas technology infrastructure company in Papua New Guinea, a data analytics startup in Berlin and a zip line in Singapore. He is a believer that the only difference between bravery and insanity is success, a keen mentor of entrepreneurs, a passionate advisor to startup accelerator programs and a reluctant wearer of formal clothes.
Follow Drew Graham:
About Barclays, Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Reid Marsh
Managing Director of Barclays
Follow Reid Marsh:
About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
James Binns
Managing Director, Global Head of Trade and Working Capital of Barclays
James Binns is the Global Head of Trade and Working Capital for Barclays, which serves Corporate, NBFI and FI clients globally with teams located in UK, Europe, Americas, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining Barclays, James spent 4.5 years at Deutsche Bank where he headed Working Capital Advisory and Trade Finance for EMEA and latterly Global Cross Product Solutions. This followed 20 years at HSBC where James was based across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, USA and UK in a number of senior Corporate Banking and Trade Finance roles.
Follow James Binns:
About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Matthew Coupe
Director Market Structure of Barclays
Matthew Coupe, formerly the director of regulation and market structure at Israel-headquartered compliance vendor Nice Actimize, joined Barclays this week as a director of market structure.
Follow Matthew Coupe:
About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Natasha Kyprianides
Portfolio & Digital Delivery Director, Barclays Partner Finance, UK of Barclays
Follow Natasha Kyprianides:
About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Roger Kennedy
Managing Director of Cantor Fitzgerald
Roger Kennedy is the Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Follow Roger Kennedy:
About Cantor Fitzgerald: Cantor Fitzgerald is a global financial services firm that specializes in equities, investment banking, and real estate.
Charlotte Salasky
Director of Investor Relations of Notion Capital
Follow Charlotte Salasky:
About Notion Capital: Notion is an early-stage venture fund that focuses on technology and cloud computing markets.
Maddy Cross
Talent Director of Notion Capital
Follow Maddy Cross:
About Notion Capital: Notion is an early-stage venture fund that focuses on technology and cloud computing markets.
Stan Stalnaker
Founding Director of Hub Culture
Stan Stalnaker is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Hub Culture, an ecosystem that includes the Ven the digital currency, Ultra Exchange, AQUA quarantine system and HubID digital identity. Previously, Stan was the international director of marketing for the Time Inc. Business and Finance group, based first in Hong Kong, then London.
Follow Stan Stalnaker:
About Hub Culture: Hub Culture is a global collaboration platform focused on digital currency and identity, knowledge brokerage and community services.
Jingbo Huang
Director, Data & Integrations of Wagestream
JB oversees GSN’s data team by taming big data and unlocking its value. He is an avid traveler and has visited 32 countries (and counting).
Follow Jingbo Huang:
About Wagestream: Wagestream is a financial services firm that allows employees to stream their earned wages into their accounts through an instant app.
Archie Chappel
Strategic Affairs Director of Wagestream
Archie Chappel serves as strategic affairs director at Wagestream.
Follow Archie Chappel:
About Wagestream: Wagestream is a financial services firm that allows employees to stream their earned wages into their accounts through an instant app.
Kim Goetzke
Operations Director of Growth Street
Follow Kim Goetzke:
About Growth Street: Growth Street is fast, flexible overdrafts for growing businesses.
Simon Bullivant
Director of Rentify
Specialising in advice to owner entrepreneurs, Simon has been involved in transactions at every stage of the life cycle, from raising venture capital finance to hundred million pound sales of businesses. Transactions for which he has been responsible include the acquisition of Byron Hamburgers by Hutton Collins, the sale of Soho House to Ron Burkle, multiple transactions involving Virgin Active; the acquisition of DFS by Advent International; various Transactions involving Trainline over an extended period; the growth of Rentify, including raising capital and ongoing advice, and many more. Simon also sits on the board of certain client companies to which ongoing advice is given, including Jellycat and Rentify. Simon was a founding shareholder of New Boathouse Capital, a business he started with other colleagues in 2000. New Boathouse was sold to Quayle Munro in 2007 where he was a managing director until he founded Ashcombe in 2010. Simon originally trained as a corporate lawyer at Macfarlanes, specialising in corporate transactions focused on private equity. He graduated from Oxford University in 1991.
Follow Simon Bullivant:
About Ashcombe Advisers, Rentify: Rentify is an online platform that helps individuals market and manage their properties.
Thomas Teichman
Chairman and Executive Director of Spark Ventures
Tom is the Chairman of SPARK Venture Management and has a long track record in backing, chairing and developing some of Europe’s most successful internet, technology, music, games and software businesses. Additionally, he has 20 years’ prior investment banking experience acquired at Credit Suisse, Bank of Montreal Nesbitt and Mitsubishi Bank, where he held various positions including Head of Corporate Finance, Trading and Syndicate. Tom was Executive Chairman of SPARK Ventures plc for 10 years until 2011 and now chairs SPARK Venture Management, which manages the SPARK Ventures plc portfolio and other significant technology and life sciences portfolios including funds from major institutions and 27 Oxford University colleges and the UK Government. Tom has operated hands-on after his City days in many small and fast growing businesses from start up to IPO or trade sale. Thus, unusually, he combines awareness of the capital markets and the M&A environments with that of entrepreneurial, rapid growth companies with mould-breaking ideas.
Follow Thomas Teichman:
About Simba Sleep, The Garage Soho: SPARK Venture is an early-stage venture capital investor in Europe.
Kiko Duffy
Founder and Investment Director of Spark Ventures
Kiko is an Investment Director at SPARK and was part of its founding team in 1999. Prior to SPARK, Kiko spent two years with NewMedia Investors assisting clients such as Lastminute.com, Silicon.com and System C Healthcare in raising more than £30 million in venture capital. While at SPARK, Kiko has executed a number of investments in the digital media and enterprise software sectors. Kiko currently represents SPARK in investments in Firebox, Elateral, Academia and Community Internet and also assists Tom Teichman in Mydeco.com, Notonthehighstreet.com and We7. Kiko was also responsible for SPARK’s investment in Touch Clarity (sold to Omniture), and managed the sales of Secerno (sold to Oracle), Synaptic Systems (sold to Capita) and Identum (sold to Trend Micro). Kiko holds an MBA in Finance (ESADE 2005) and a BA in Philosophy (University of Manchester).
Follow Kiko Duffy:
About Spark Ventures, The Garage Soho: SPARK Venture is an early-stage venture capital investor in Europe.
Andy Betton
Financial Director of Spark Ventures
Andy is the Company Secretary of SPARK Ventures and the Finance Director of SPARK Venture Management Ltd. He has extensive audit, accountancy and taxation experience gained over six years whilst in a small (10 partner) accountancy firm progressing from graduate trainee to audit manager. He has two years commercial experience gained in a quoted shipbrokers (200 UK staff). He qualified as an accountant in 1996, with an MA in Economics from Cambridge University.
Follow Andy Betton:
About Spark Ventures, The Garage Soho: SPARK Venture is an early-stage venture capital investor in Europe.
Chuen- Hing Lee
Director of API Development of Moneybox
Follow Chuen- Hing Lee:
About Moneybox: Moneybox is a mobile savings and investment app that offers a range of saving and investment products including Lifetime ISAs and Pensions.
Jon Leigh
Director of Platform & Infrastructure of Moneybox
Follow Jon Leigh:
About Moneybox: Moneybox is a mobile savings and investment app that offers a range of saving and investment products including Lifetime ISAs and Pensions.
Stuart Jeffrey
Executive Director and Co Founder of Fly Now Pay Later
Stuart Jeffrey is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fly Now Pay Later.
Follow Stuart Jeffrey:
About Fly Now Pay Later, Krzana, Movebubble: Fly Now Pay Later is a fintech company that helps consumers split the cost of their travel in monthly installments.
Richard Little
Non Executive Director of Thought Machine
Follow Richard Little:
About Azur Group, CENTURY Tech, Concirrus, IQ Capital, Thought Machine: Thought Machine is a Fintech company that builds cloud-native technology to revolutionize core banking.
Andy Phillipps
Non Executive Director of Thought Machine
Andy Phillipps is the Advisor, IC and Venture Partner at IQ Capital.
Follow Andy Phillipps:
About Cambridge Judge Business School, Prodigy Finance, PROfounders Capital, Thought Machine, Trainline: Thought Machine is a Fintech company that builds cloud-native technology to revolutionize core banking.
Guillermo Christen
Director Of Engineering of Monzo
Follow Guillermo Christen:
About Monzo: Monzo is a digital-only bank platform and marketplace that allows customers to access a range of products and services.
Chris Beckett
Associate Director of Data Science (Product and Marketing) of Monzo
Chris Beckett is the Associate Director of Data Science (Product and Marketing) at Monzo Bank.
Follow Chris Beckett:
About Monzo: Monzo is a digital-only bank platform and marketplace that allows customers to access a range of products and services.
Blake Kleinman
Managing Director of Hellman & Friedman
Blake Kleinman is a Managing Director at Hellman & Friedman in the London office. Blake is a Director of Scout24, SSP Holdings plc and Wood Mackenzie. Blake was formerly a Director of Gartmore Investment Management Limited and IRIS Software Group Limited and was active in the Firm’s investments in Arch Capital Group Ltd., Axel Springer AG, Mondrian Investment Partners Ltd., ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, and The Nielsen Company. Prior to joining the Firm in 2001, Blake worked in the Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructurings Department at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York. Blake graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Follow Blake Kleinman:
About Hellman & Friedman: Hellman & Friedman is a private equity investment firm providing strategic and financial management support to businesses.
Zita Saurel
Managing Director of Hellman & Friedman
Zita joined H&F in 2005. She is active in the Firm’s investment in Scout24. Zita also has responsibility for the Firm’s capital markets activities in Europe related to new investments and for portfolio companies. She was formerly a Director of Wood Mackenzie and Web Reservations and was active in the Firm’s investments in IRIS, Nielsen and Gartmore. Prior to H&F, Zita worked at Investcorp in London and the Leveraged Finance department of Lehman Brothers in London. Zita is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.
Follow Zita Saurel:
About Hellman & Friedman: Hellman & Friedman is a private equity investment firm providing strategic and financial management support to businesses.
Stuart Banks
Managing Director & General Counsel, Europe of Hellman & Friedman
Stuart joined H&F in 2007 and is responsible for overseeing the Firm’s legal matters in Europe related to prospective investments and portfolio companies. Prior to H&F, Stuart was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in London. During this time, he also completed a two-year secondment to the U.K.’s Panel on Takeovers and Mergers. Stuart completed his legal training with Travers Smith, qualifying as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 2000.
Follow Stuart Banks:
About Hellman & Friedman: Hellman & Friedman is a private equity investment firm providing strategic and financial management support to businesses.
Lewis Mitchell
Senior Director, EMEA of Taulia
Follow Lewis Mitchell:
About Taulia: Taulia is a FinTech startup that provides working capital management and electronic invoicing services for supply chain companies.
Jan Farrarons
Founder & Director of Judopay
Jan Farrarons is the founder of Dojo, Capital On Tap, and Judopay.
Follow Jan Farrarons:
About Capital on Tap, Dojo, Judopay: Judopay is a mobile-first payments platform.
Catherine Wines
Executive Director & Co-Founder of Zepz
Catherine is a qualified accountant with public company board experience and extensive commercial experience in the money transfer industry. Previously she was the Managing Director of First Remit, an international money transfer business subsequently acquired by Travelex Money Transfer where she became the Regional Director for UK, Ireland and Benelux as well as Operations Director. Catherine was one of the founding team members of WorldRemit.
Follow Catherine Wines:
About Beam, Cambridge Judge Business School, Zepz: Zepz is a money transfer service that helps migrants send money to their loved ones all over the world.
Alix Murphy
Director of Mobile Partnerships of Zepz
Alix Murphy A leading Mobile Money specialist, Alix helps build and support commercial relationships with telecoms operators all over the world. Before WorldRemit, Alix was at the GSMA, where she consulted mobile operators on revenue opportunities in Mobile Money and digital identity. She has on-the-ground expertise of the telecoms sector in regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, North America, East Asia and South East Asia. In her early career, Alix spent several years in international development, including at the Grameen Foundation and Aga Khan Foundation.
Follow Alix Murphy:
About Zepz: Zepz is a money transfer service that helps migrants send money to their loved ones all over the world.
Adriana Marques
Managing Director, Europe and Global Network of Zepz
Adriana Marques is responsible for growing WorldRemit’s business in the European region as well as driving the expansion of the network globally by integrating new pay out partners, and launching money transfer services in new geographies. Adriana has over 20 years of experience in leading and developing teams, having previously held senior strategy and business development roles at Sodexo and American Express. Prior to joining WorldRemit in October 2017, Adriana served as Head of Merchant and VAS at Samsung launching Samsung Pay in the UK. Adriana holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA in Economics from Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil.
Follow Adriana Marques:
About Zepz: Zepz is a money transfer service that helps migrants send money to their loved ones all over the world.
Daniel Cox
Financial Director of Fingopay
Follow Daniel Cox:
About Fingopay: Identity authentication platform
Julian Colls
Customer Success Director of Form3
Follow Julian Colls:
About Form3: Form3 is a cloud native payments-as-a-service platform that designs, builds, and runs the technology that powers the future of payments.
Colin Goldstein
Commercial Growth Director of iwoca
Colin is currently the Head of Partnerships at iwoca, the award-winning alternative lender. He is responsible for growing iwoca’s loan book through partnerships, and oversees collaborations with the likes of NatWest/RBS, Tide, Xero and Funding Options. He is also responsible for sales through commercial finance brokers and accountant referrals. Prior to joining iwoca, Colin was the Commercial & Product Director, at Redbus Media Group, a specialist media owner, where he was responsible for partnerships with Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s. Colin started his career as a strategy consultant at Accenture and has also worked in commercial roles at Littlewoods Gaming and betfair.
Follow Colin Goldstein:
About iwoca: Iwoca offers credit financing services for small businesses.
Edward Glyn
Managing Director, Head of Global Markets, Global Head of Relationship Management of Calastone
Edward Glyn joined Calastone in 2014 and is responsible for managing and developing key client relationships across our global markets. Before joining Calastone, Edward spent nine years at SWIFT, most recently heading up the 100m transaction funds business across EMEA and leading the regional sales team managing SWIFT’s investment management, custody and asset servicing offerings. Prior to this, Edward spent a number of years in key commercial and strategic roles at Investia – former parent of JPMorgan FundsHub, ERI Bancaire, Thomson Financial and Tajan.
Follow Edward Glyn:
About Calastone: Calastone is a global transaction network for the mutual fund industry.
Paul Heydon
Director of Unity Capital
30 years as a founder, operator, investor, and advisor. Previously Paul was a Co-Founder and General Partner at LVP. Paul has invested in Supercell (majority acquired by Tencent), Unity (NYSE:U), Matchmade, Radiant Entertainment (acquired by Riot Games), Boomlagoon (acquired by Wargaming), Peak (acquired by Hachette Livre), AppOnboard, FRVR, Starform, Gameclub, Coherence, Lucid Sight, Doppio Games, Capture, Flick, EvenPrime, Tellie & Litho and others. Previously, he was an investment banker at Avista Partners, Commerzbank Securities & ING Barings. He has both a HBA & MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario in Canada.
Follow Paul Heydon:
About Unity Capital: Personal holding company for Paul Heydon (early investor in Supercell, Unity & many others)
Robert Lumley
Director and Co-Founder of Insurtech Gateway
Robert joined Hambro Perks in 2016 to build and lead the InsurTech Gateway, the Hambro Perks InsurTech incubator. He has worked in the insurance sector since 1984 concentrating on niche products, in particular designing engagement strategies through the application of innovative ideas to help insurers build long term productive relationships with their customers. Robert started with the development of a Film and Television Insurance Unit out of Edward Lumley & Sons’ Colchester Office before moving to London to launch the first Rent and Legal protection and property insurance offering for let properties. After a 3-year visit to Lumley Life in Australia, Robert returned to establish Richmunds Insurance which specialised in the Letting Sector. Premium income grew to £30m by the time the business was sold in 1991. Robert grew up in an insurance family and has experience in many product areas including Specialist Motor, Classic Car, Let Property, Life Insurance and Bloodstock. Robert is Chairman of Lumley Jacobs and continues his work with niche insurance businesses through the Lumleys.net investments.
Follow Robert Lumley:
About FloodFlash, Insurtech Gateway: The only FCA authorised independent incubator + fund, the Insurtech Gateway is the fastest place to build and launch an insurtech idea.
Stephen Brittain
Director and Co-Founder of Insurtech Gateway
Stephen is an experienced innovation consultant with a deep understanding of startups, design, strategic innovation and translating this to investors. As Hambro Perks first Creative Director, he supported their growing portfolio (including Sipsmiths, Laundrapp, Takumi, TheDots) through early stage development and testing. He is now applying his experience to disruptive InsurTech businesses, getting to market – fast!
Follow Stephen Brittain:
About Insurtech Gateway: The only FCA authorised independent incubator + fund, the Insurtech Gateway is the fastest place to build and launch an insurtech idea.
Thomas Bossee
Co-Founder / Art Director of FIDEL API
Thomas Bossee is the Co-Founder and Art Director at Fidel.
Follow Thomas Bossee:
About FIDEL API: Fidel API is a global financial infrastructure platform, providing tools to build powerful, real-time products on top of payment cards.
Michael Phair
Founder, Director & CEO of REG
REG’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Phair, is a banking veteran with links to World Bank, N M Rothschild and UBS. Michael is a private equity investor with over 40 years’ experience in the financial markets.
Follow Michael Phair:
About REG: REG provides an intelligence, analytics, and risk management software to the global insurance and financial services market.
John Levin
Co-Founder and Director of Certua
John has a keen eye for identifying opportunity and talent, and has more than 25 years’ experience in both insurance and technology. He has been a significant shareholder and held senior positions in several companies including, Chairman of Amtrust Europe Limited (AEL), founder and Non-Executive Director (NED) of Telecom Plus PLC (TEP), CEO and NED of IGI Group Limited, Chairman of Quanis, Chairman of Rocketer, Chairman of Surely Group and NED of Money Dashboard.
Follow John Levin:
About Certua: Certua is a data-driven financial solutions.
David Tibbetts
UK and Nordics Managing Director of Web Financial Group
David Tibbetts has been UK Managing Director of Web Financial Group SA since September 1, 2017. Mr. Tibbetts has been the Head of Proquote and Managing Director at Proquote Limited since 2009. Mr. Tibbetts served as Managing Director of UK – Financial Markets at IRESS Limited until April 1, 2017. He joined IRESS in November 2015 following the Proquote acquisition. He served as Managing Director at Proquote since 2008 and has a wealth of experience in the financial software industry from managing Singularity’s UK business and through other roles at Mercator Software and Braid Systems.
Follow David Tibbetts:
About Web Financial Group: Web Financial Group continues is data-driven managed service solutions provider.
Leonard Seelig
Executive Director of BABB
Leonard is supporting BABB in implementing best practices on both market-facing and operational processes. He has twenty years of banking experience, including in the technology sector, and in helping lead both private and public companies. Leonard has recently retired from his role as chairman of APC Technology Group PLC, and Board member of Defenx PLC, a security software company listed on the AIM London stock market.
Follow Leonard Seelig:
About BABB: BABB is a world bank for the micro-economy: a global marketplace for human innovation, financial autonomy and wealth creation.
Oliver Cummings
Commercial Director of Capitalise.com
Oliver is the Partnerships Manager at MarketInvoice, one of Europe’s largest peer-to-peer fintech platforms. We’ve helped more than 1,000 UK small businesses raise over £400m in funds since launch in 2011. The British Business Bank uses MarketInvoice as part of its programme to stimulate funding to UK businesses, and has lent over £50m on our platform. Oliver has a wide network in venture capital, corporate finance and the UK startup community from his experience at Nauta Capital Venture Capital Partners, Smith & Williamson Corporate Finance, HSBC and EY. “Cash is king” and Oliver loves helping growing companies solve their cash flow hurdles via various funding methods from Venture Capital to their own sales ledger.
Follow Oliver Cummings:
About Capitalise.com: Capitalise uses a little funding magic to identify the best financing options available for your business.
Charles McVeigh
Chairman of the Board of Director of Rubicon Fund Management
Charles was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 August 2000. Formerly, he was Co-Chairman of Citigroup’s European Investment Bank and served on the Boards of Witan Investment Company plc, Clearstream, the London Stock Exchange, LIFFE, British American Business Inc and was a member of both the Development Board and Advisory Council of the Prince’s Trust, he was also a Non-Executive Director of Petropavlovsk plc until mid 2015. e was appointed by the Bank of England to serve on the City Capital Markets Committee and the Legal Risk Review Committee and was a member of the Fulbright Commission. Charles has recently become Chairman of Rubicon Fund Management, a successful London based hedge fund.A Senior Adviser at Citigroup, Charles also serves on the Board of EFG-Hermes and is a Trustee of the Landmark Trust and the Natural History Museum Development Board.
Follow Charles McVeigh:
About : Rubicon Fund Management LLP is a privately owned investment management partnership.
Jane Reoch
Investment Director of Mobeus Equity Partners
Jane has worked in private equity for the last ten years and set up the Cass Entrepreneurship Fund from a standing start in 2010. Jane qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she spent five years, predominantly in transaction advisory and previously worked with the Business Growth Fund. She also holds a first class Business degree from the University of Edinburgh, and is a mentor for the Prince’s Trust. Jane is based in Panoramic’s London office.
Follow Jane Reoch:
About Mobeus Equity Partners: Mobeus Equity Partners is a venture capital that funds U.K.-based SMEs through equity and debt finance.
Nick Hungerford
Director of Nutmeg
Nick is the founding CEO of Nutmeg. Following a business degree at Exeter University, Nick worked at Barclays in the areas of product, banking and wealth management. Nick was a Divisional Director at Brewin Dolphin and has an MBA from Stanford University in the United States. Nick’s industry and investment views are respected globally and he frequently appears on Bloomberg, CNBC and BBC and has been quoted in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and many international publications. Nick has been a guest lecturer at academic institutions including Harvard, Stanford and London Business School and has represented UKTI around the world, promoting the benefits of doing business in Britain.
Follow Nick Hungerford:
About Nutmeg, PR Specialist: Nutmeg is an online investment service that specializes in investments, ISAs and pensions.
Matt Gatrell
COO and Board Executive Director of Nutmeg
Matt joined Nutmeg in April 2018 bringing over 20 years of financial services technology experience with him. As Nutmeg’s CTO, Matt ensures our technology strategy matches our business strategy. Prior to joining Nutmeg, Matt held the position of Chief Technical Officer at both Neilson Financial Services and MarketInvoice. His experience has been rounded out by 13 years at BancTec, a global top 100 financial services technology provider, where he held a number of roles, including R&D Director. Matt holds a PhD in Software Engineering from Brunel University.
Follow Matt Gatrell:
About Nutmeg: Nutmeg is an online investment service that specializes in investments, ISAs and pensions.
Jared Jesner
Non Executive Director of WeSwap
After graduating in Theoretical Physics from UCL, Jared gained a strong foundation in banking at JP Morgan and Dresdner Kleinwort, where he traded currency derivatives. Following this, he was selected for a fast track management program with Royal Dutch Shell. In this role, Jared managed teams including both Shell people and external consultants on technology strategy and project delivery across the globe, with a strong focus on payments. Jared runs every night to stay fit and is a Taekwondo black belt. If you visit our office, chances are you’ll find his kids’ artwork decorating a corner of the whiteboard walls.
Follow Jared Jesner:
About WeSwap: WeSwap is a mobile application that allows users to swap different types of currency with others.
Rebecca Skitt
Group Managing Director of 10xbanking
Rebecca leads the development and progress of 10x. Supported by an executive leadership team, her role is to bring the 10x vision to life. Rebecca joined 10x in December 2016 as Chief Operating Officer, moving to her current role in May 2018. An experienced global business leader, Rebecca’s career has taken her around the world with high profile brands including Unilever and Barclays. She has deep experience in enabling business transformation, building high-performance cultures and establishing innovation capability worldwide. Rebecca is known for her passion for attracting and mobilising top talent to deliver on breakthrough strategies.
Follow Rebecca Skitt:
About 10xbanking: 10xbanking offers a digital banking platform that will transform the way financial services providers operate.
Jonathan Mullins
Technical Director of ADVFN
Follow Jonathan Mullins:
About ADVFN, PlusOneCoin: An award-winning global stocks, shares and crypto information website providing market-leading financial tools and data to retail investors
Anna Foat
Director, Global Digital Transformation Office of Sun Life
Anna grew up in business at BlackBerry. She joined RIM in 1999 when the company was pre-300 employees and thrived as the company grew exponentially executing deals with IBM, Visa and Mastercard in her tenure. In 2011 when Blackberry had grown to 16,000 employees she switched gears and left to join IBM as the Worldwide Managing Editor of MobileFirst Platform leading content digital marketing strategy. In 2016 she was invited to act as the Executive in Residence for the first cohort of the Fierce Founders Accelerator at Communitech. In 2017 she was named a top 30 Women to Watch in Technology by BetaKit. She today is a Director in the Global Digital Transformation Office at Sun Life Financial as well as a bestselling author. She is proud to have earned a BA in English Literature from the University of Waterloo. She now teaches Design Thinking at the University of Western Ontario. When she’s not hustling for the next deal or talking to entrepreneurs you can find her either sipping wine with friends or locked in a hot yoga class trying to find that elusive balance.
Follow Anna Foat:
About Sun Life: Sun Life Financial provides wealth management, financial security, and stability to its worldwide customer base.
Rodney Bain
Co-Founder & Managing Director of APEXX Global
Follow Rodney Bain:
About APEXX Global: APEXX consolidates global payment providers into a single integration point, optimising the cost of complex payment ecosystems.
Max Firth
Managing Director of Funding Xchange
Max Firth is a Managing Director of Funding Xchange and NED at Artesian Solutions. He was the Managing Director of Aptdicum Ltd and Experian.
Follow Max Firth:
About Artesian Solutions, Funding Xchange: Funding Xchange is transforming and connecting the SME funding eco-system through digital eligibility and affordability assessment tools.
Heather Corcoran
Senior Director of International of Kickstarter
Follow Heather Corcoran:
About Kickstarter: Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform for creative projects such as movies, music, art, theater, games, comics, design, and photography.
Matthew Linnecar
Director, Growth Capital of Snowball Effect
Follow Matthew Linnecar:
About Blue Ventures, Edmund Hillary Fellowship(EHF), Snowball Effect: A curated marketplace that simplifies access to private equity investment opportunities
Nisha Singh
Co-Founder and Director of TRANSPER
Follow Nisha Singh:
About TRANSPER: Transper is a fintech platform that provides liquidity and transparency in deep tier supply chain reducing costs and credit risk.
William McMullan
Director of Sales – eCommerce of Trustly
Follow William McMullan:
About The Carlyle Group, Trustly: Pay directly from your online bank
James Witter
Non-Executive Director of Oxford Capital Partners
James joined the Board of Oxford Capital at the beginning of 2013 and contributes broad experience of the institutional capital and private equity markets in Europe and around the world. Following a 15 year career with Dresdner Kleinwort Benson merchant bank in London in origination and utilities financing, James became a managing director with Merrill Lynch International before joining Nomura International as Director of Private Equity Capital Markets. Since 2007 he has served SVG Advisers, an affiliate of the Schroders Group and a subsidiary of SVG Capital plc, as a member of the Executive Management Committee and Head of Investment Advisory and Solutions. James read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University and won an MBA at the London Business School. He is a Cambridge Rowing Blue and active sportsman.
Follow James Witter:
About Oxford Capital Partners, SVG Advisers: Oxford Capital is a technology venture capital investor based in London and Oxford.
Richard Roberts
Director, Investor Relations of Oxford Capital Partners
Richard is responsible for managing Oxford Capital’s direct clients. He brings extensive experience of working with private investors, both within the financial services and private equity industry, most recently as Partner within a boutique consultancy identifying and evaluating investments into earlier stage and growth companies. His experience lies in strategic and financing transactions for UK SME’s within the TMT, property and clean-tech sectors. Richard’s early career was spent at HW Fisher, a UK Top 30 Chartered Accountants firm, providing advisory services in the wealth management and property divisions. Richard read Ancient History at Exeter University and is a Member of the Institute of Consulting. He enjoys playing golf, walking up hills in the summer and skiing down them in winter.
Follow Richard Roberts:
About Oxford Capital Partners: Oxford Capital is a technology venture capital investor based in London and Oxford.
David Browne
Managing Director of Terra Firma
David is a Managing Director at Terra Firma with 15 years of experience in private equity and investment banking. Prior to joining Terra Firma in 2018, David was a Director at Paine Schwartz, LLC, a US-based fund focused on private equity opportunities in agribusiness, where he managed transactions in Europe, the US and Australia. Prior to Paine Schwartz, David was a Managing Director at GSC Group, where he focused on distressed-for-control investing across a broad range of industries. Earlier in his career, David was an Associate at Lindsay Goldberg and an Analyst in the M&A Group at Credit Suisse. Among his responsibilities at Terra Firma, David is currently overseeing the sale of Australian beef producer, Consolidated Pastoral Company. David holds a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in government from Harvard College. He has an MBA, awarded with highest distinction, from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. David speaks English and, thanks to his wife, Italian. David is married with two children. In the time not absorbed by his children, David’s interests include training, sport (formerly baseball and now Premier League football), and reading.
Follow David Browne:
About Terra Firma: Terra Firma is a private equity firm based in London, United Kingdom.
Giles Andrews
Co-founder & Director of Zopa
Giles Andrews, CEO and co-founder Zopa, the world’s first P2P lending and borrowing marketplace. Giles has led the company through a period of dramatic growth that has seen it established as a real threat to traditional players, reaching over 2% market share and £160m in loans. Giles spent the first ten years of his career in the motor industry pursuing his interest in all things automotive. This included co-founding Caverdale in 1992, a start-up taken to a £250m revenue motor retailer and sold in 1997. After an MBA at INSEAD he set up his own consultancy business whose clients included Tesco and Tesco Personal Finance and which also provided start up advice and early stage funding for new businesses, until co-founding Zopa in 2004.
Follow Giles Andrews:
About Zopa: Zopa offers peer-to-peer loans with low rates, flexible terms, and no early repayment fees.
Assaf Littner
Director of ezbob
Follow Assaf Littner:
About : ezbob is a UK based software provider for banks and other financial institutions.
Cyrus Wadia
Payment Strategy Director & Co-Founder of Modulr
Cyrus Wadia is the Co-Founder and Payment Strategy Director of Modulr.
Follow Cyrus Wadia:
About Modulr: Modulr is a fintech company that provides Payments as a Service API for digital businesses.
Tim Armstrong
Managing Director UK and Product Development of Greensill Capital
Tim Armstrong is a member of Greensill’s European team, focusing on developing partnerships within EMEA. Prior to joining Greensill, Tim worked at KPMG managing a Supply Chain Finance solution for clients which utilised partnerships with leading FinTech companies in combination with KPMG’s suite of advisory services. Prior to that, Tim worked in the corporate finance team in Deloitte, working closely with the UK Government’s Department of Business, and at Morgan Stanley, in their securitisation team.
Follow Tim Armstrong:
About Greensill Capital: Greensill Capital is a provider of structured working capital financing to businesses globally.
Brett Downes
Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer of Greensill Capital
Brett is responsible for all aspects of credit and operational risk within Greensill. Prior to working at Greensill, Brett headed the EMEA Trade Credit Risk team at Citi where he was responsible for managing the credit and operational risk for the Letters of Credit, Trade Finance, Export Credit Agency, Commodities, Insurance Letters of Credit, and Supply Chain businesses. Prior to that he held various risk and front office positions at Commerzbank, Barclays Wealth and National Australia Bank. Brett holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, a Masters in Applied Finance & Investment from Macquarie University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Melbourne Business School.
Follow Brett Downes:
About Greensill Capital: Greensill Capital is a provider of structured working capital financing to businesses globally.
Richard Stillwell
Non-Executive Director of Curo Group
Richard Stillwell joined the Board on 1 September 2006 and was appointed Chairman of the Company on 26 April 2011. Richard was executive vice president of ICI plc, where he had held various posts for 26 years until 2000, before changing career and qualifying as a barrister. More recently Richard has held Non-Executive Directorships at Penna Consulting plc, Scott Bader Ltd, TBI Ltd and Fibreweb plc, as well as Albertis Motorways UK Ltd and Albertis Overseas (UK) Ltd. Richard is currently a Non-Executive Director of Curo Group (Albion) Ltd, a not-for-profit company involved in the provision of housing and community services. Richard chairs meetings of the Nomination Committee.
Follow Richard Stillwell:
About : Curo Group believes in creating consistent returns for its customers, investors and stakeholders.
Nigel Pusey
Director of essDOCS
Follow Nigel Pusey:
About essDOCS: essDOCS enables paperless trade; focusing on digitizing paper-heavy shipping, trade and logistic processes.
Tim Perkins
Co-Founder & Director of Nudge Global
Follow Tim Perkins:
About Nudge Global: Brighter financial futures for everyone, everywhere
Jeremy Beament
Co-Founder & Director of Nudge Global
Follow Jeremy Beament:
About Nudge Global: Brighter financial futures for everyone, everywhere
Simon Cullen
Founder and Managing Director of Risksave Technologies
Simon Cullen is a founder of RiskSave, a financial technology and compliance firm. He has a first-class degree in mathematics and a masters in economics from Trinity College Dublin and is a qualified Financial Risk Manager (FRM). Simon worked for over fifteen years in banking and asset management, formerly being Head of Credit for Structured Debt for a large European Asset Manager. Simon has 15 years’ experience dealing with regulatory compliance and risk across banks and asset managers and oversees RiskSave’s compliance platform.
Follow Simon Cullen:
About Risksave Technologies: Risksave Technologies is a fast-growing provider of regulatory hosting services.
Lorenzo Magni
International Partnerships Director of Pollinate
Lorenzo Magni is the International Partnerships Director at Pollinate International.
Follow Lorenzo Magni:
About Pollinate: Pollinate Networks is a platform that works with banks to create data-driven experiences for merchants and consumers.
Patrick Curry
Director – Innovation & Strategy of Sedicii
Follow Patrick Curry:
About Sedicii: Sedicii verifies identity data between two organisations without exposing the underlying data.
Tahir Farooqui
Seed Investor & Non-Executive Director of Canopy
Tahir Farooqui is the Seed Investor and Non-Executive Director of Canopy.
Follow Tahir Farooqui:
About Canopy, InsureStreet Ltd.: Canopy is a financial health startup helping Renters build credit, save money, improve rental affordability and achieve financial freedom.
Ollie Jerome
Co-Founder and Director of BestX
Ollie Jerome was most recently European Head of FX at Morgan Stanley in London, responsible for Sales, Trading & Structuring. Oliver joined Morgan Stanley in 2010, performing a number of roles including Head of FX & Emerging Markets Sales for EMEA & the US, and Head of FX & EM in Europe. He was a member of the MS Global FID Management Committee. Oliver began his career in FX Sales at Chase Manhattan in 1998, and was promoted to Managing Director in 2007. He remained at the institution through the merger with JPMorgan until 2009, when he left to work for Standard Chartered. Oliver has a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester.
Follow Ollie Jerome:
About BestX: BestX is provide independent trade technology and analytics that enable clients to define, achieve & demonstrate Best Execution.
Kebbie Sebastian
Managing Director of Penser
Follow Kebbie Sebastian:
About Penser: Specialist consulting firm focused on the payments and fintech industry
Alexandre Massart
Director of Penser
Follow Alexandre Massart:
About Penser: Specialist consulting firm focused on the payments and fintech industry
Kerem Ozelli
Founder, Director of Cygnecode Ltd.
Follow Kerem Ozelli:
About Cygnecode Ltd., d:code:it – DCODEIT LTD.: Creators of Flick a Trade. London based tech company designs, develops and operates trading games and gamified financial applications.
