2018
Women in FinTech
Powerlist

The Women in FinTech Powerlist 2018, launched back in November, shines a spotlight on the women leading the way for change in financial services. Now in its 5th year, the Powerlist continues to grow with over 1200 responses for the 2018 edition, our highest total since the list’s inception. The new format consists of 150 women across 7 categories, who have made a real impact over and above their day-to-day-role in FinTech. We have also introduced a new “Standout 35” category, highlighting the achievements of some truly amazing women in FinTech who have delivered so much over the previous 12 months.

We want to congratulate everyone for their hard work and achievements and hope to see you all again for next year’s Powerlist.

Women in Fintech Powerlist 2018

Celebrating the female leaders and innovators transforming financial services across a broad range of roles.

Senior Leaders
Rising Stars
Professional & Finance Services
Investors
Technology Professionals
Policy Makers
Marketers & Communicators

Senior Leaders

Senior leaders truly driving forward change within the FinTech space, above and beyond their day-to-day role. They have excelled in their career, but are also passionate about helping others make progress in theirs – through mentoring, setting up support groups to share experiences or voluntary work.

Claire Altman, Chief Corporate Officer, Smart Pension
Benedetta Arese Lucini, CEO, co-founder, Oval Money
Laura Bailey, Chair of Qadre, Board member of TechUK, Qadre
Anna Bennett, Executive Director, The Differential Group
Diana Biggs, Head of Digital Innovation, UK & Europe, HSBC
Sarah Biller, Co-Founder, Investor, Advisor, Educator , FinTech Sandbox, Brandeis University, etc.
Anne Boden, Founder and CEO, Starling Bank
Claire Calmejane, Chief Innovation Officer, Societe Generale
Francesca Carlesi, CEO and Co-founder, Molo Finance
Megan Caywood, Managing Director, Head of Consumer Strategy, Barclays
Jude Cook, CEO, ShareIn
Seema Desai, COO, iwoca
Joanne Dewar, CEO, Global Processing Services
Kristy Duncan, Founder & CEO, Women in Payments
Clara Durodié, Executive Chair, Cognitive Finance Group
Nadia Edwards-Dashti, MD, Harrington Starr
Mihriban Ersin Tekmen, Co-Founder/COO, Colendi.com
Jelena Ewart, Co-founder, Partner, Upside Partners
Clare Flynn Levy, Founder & CEO, Essentia Analytics
Chloe Foden, Chief of Staff, Prodigy Finance
Alexandra Foster, Director, insurance, wealth management & financial services, BT
Clare Gambardella , Chief Customer Officer , Zopa
Jane Gladstone, Senior Managing Director , Evercore
Leda Glyptis, CEO 11FS Foundry, Chief of Staff, 11FS
Kirsty Grant, CIO, Seedrs
Sophie Guibaud, Managing Director Europe, Fidor
Charlotte Hogg, CEO, Visa in Europe, Visa
Laura Hutton, Chief Product Officer, Quantexa
Lisa Jacobs, Chief Strategy Officer, Funding Circle
Monica Kalia, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Neyber
Leanne Kemp, CEO, everledger
Seema Khinda Johnson, Co-Founder and COO, Nuggets
Anna Laycock, CEO, Finance Innovation Lab
Manjula Lee, CEO & Founder, World Wide Generation
Rosemary Leith, Non-Executive Director, HSBC UK Plc
Sharon Lewis, Global Head of Hogan Lovells’ Financial Institutions (FIS)
Sector Group, Hogan Lovells
Viola Llewellyn, Co-Founder & President, Ovamba Solutions, Inc.
Liz Lumley, Director of FinTech, VC Innovations
Emma Margetts, CEO & Co-Founder, Alpha Exchange (Alpha Exchange acquired by Visible Alpha)
Blythe Masters , Board Member and Strategic Advisor, Digital Asset Holdings
Felicia Meyerowitz Singh, CEO, Akoni
Martha Mghendi-Fisher, Founder & Chair to the Board, European Women Payments Network (EWPN)
Helen Mitchell, Director & Co-founder, Blukudu Ltd
Joshua Klayman, Founder and CEO, Klayman LLC
Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Chief Strategy Officer, Blend Network
Angelique Mohring, CEO and Founder, GainX
Tram Anh Nguyen , Co-Founder, CFTE
Carrie Osman, Founder & CEO, Cruxy & Company
Angelie Pantelli, Chief Financial Officer, LendInvest
Anne Pieckielon, Director of Product & Strategy, Bacs
Caroline Plumb, CEO, Fluidly
Alison Rose, Deputy CEO of NatWest holdings and the CEO Of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Corporate, Commercial & Private Banking business, NatWest
Melinda Roylett, Head of Europe, Square
Romi Savova, CEO, PensionBee
Joanne Smith, Founder & Group CEO, Recordsure
Kaushalya Somasundaram, MD & Head of Fintech Partnerships & Strategy, HSBC
Sabine VanderLinden, CEO – Startupbootcamp InsurTech & Partner – Rainmaking, Rainmaking and for the brand company Startupbootcamp
Catherine Wines, Co-founder, WorldRemit
Eva Wong, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Borrowell

Rising Stars

From relative newbies determined to make their mark as a future FinTech leader or a role models for the industry, they have hit the ground running and gone beyond their job description. Their contributions to successful projects, innovative ideas and other standout achievements has set them apart.

Maya Aweida, Solutions, HUBX
Emilie Bellet, Founder and CEO, Vestpod
Melike Belli, Market Development Manager, Cybertonica
Kate Bohn, Incubator and Accelerator Relationship Lead, Group
Transformation, Lloyds Banking Group
Lauren Capelin, Head of Venture Community, Reinventure Group
Juliana Cole, Innovation Manager, HSBC Bank USA
Anna Flach, Marketing Strategy Consultant, Qadre
Roisin Gallagher, Head of Partnerships, Funding Options
Natasha Jones, Head of Communications, UK, Funding Circle
Susie Kim, Co-Founder & CXO, Pluto Money
Felicia Kodderitzsch, Business & Operations Manager, Octopus Labs
Helen Lloyd, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Xavier Analytics
Nina Mohanty, Business Development Manager, Bud
Monica Murthy, Programme Director, Empire Startups
Zoe Newman , Head of Partnerships, Capital on Tap
Emily Nicolle, Technology Reporter, City A.M.
Lois Ollerenshaw, Venture Principal, Nationwide Building Society
Juliette Souliman, FinTech VC Investor, Octopus Ventures
Georgia Steele-Matthews, Sales Director, PixelPin

Professional & Financial Services

Professional and financial service professionals that are championing FinTech within their respective teams. They are the inhouse specialist, the go-to for the latest in FinTech trends and an influential voice on sector innovations and diversity in finance.

Shruti Ajitsaria, Head of Fuse, Allen & Overy
Maxine Austin, Senior Lead, Digital Platforms, Group Transformation, Lloyds Banking Group
Rachel Bentley, Fintech Senior Manager, KPMG
Sophie Bialaszewski, Head of People & Capability Transformation, Lloyd’s Banking Group
Jennifer Byrne, Co-Founder & CEO, Quesnay Inc
Yvonne Dunn, Partner, Head of Fintech, Pinsent Masons LLP
Alexa Fernandez, Head of Open Innovation UK, BBVA
Imogen Garner, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Fiona Ghosh, Partner, Head of Fintech, Addleshaw Goddard
Maria Harris, Director of Lending, Atom bank
Dr Bijna K. Dasani, Advisory Board Member, Independent
Rachel Kent, Head of Financial Services Regulation (Partner), Hogan Lovells
Stacy Kim, Partner, Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP
Poojya Manjunath, Product Innovation Lead, Lloyds Banking Group
Sue McLean, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Donna Parisi, Partner, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Prini Pithouse, Company Secretary and Deputy General Counsel, Visa Europe Limited
Johannna Pugh, VP, Global Services Sales, Finastra
Emily Reid, Head of FinTech and Innovation (Partner), Hogan Lovells
Gemma Steel, Legal Counsel, Chief of Staff and Head of Compliance, Project Imagine / dozens
Axelle Sznajer, Partner, Head of Fintech/FS Tech-enabled Practice, Egon Zehnder
Victoria Thompson, Head of Innovation Legal, Barclays Bank
Yvette Valdez, Partner, Latham & Watkins
Nadja van der Veer, Co-founder, consultancy firm
Ruth Wandhöfer, I-NED at LSEG, at Permanent TSB, at Pendo SystemsSenior Adviser KPMG, Head of Regulatory & Industry Affairs at Coinfirm, LSEG, Permanent TSB, Pendo Systems, KPMG, Coinfirm
Charlotte Wood, Head of Innovation and Fintech Alliances, Schroders

Investors

Playing a key role in changing the current funding environment for women founders and entrepreneurs, these ladies are encouraging companies to take their innovative ideas to the next stage.

Ruth Foxe Blader, Investment Director, Anthemis
Anna Garcia, Partner, Runway Venture Partners
Maria Gotsch, President and CEO, Partnership Fund for NYC/FinTech Innovation Lab
Gabrielle Inzirillo, Director, Fintech, Plug And Play Tech Center
Parul Kaul-Green, Head of AXA NEXT Labs Europe, AXA
Magdalena Krön, Head of Rise London & FinTech Platform Lead, Barclays
Triin Linamagi, Venture Associate, Founders Factory
Cathryn Lyall, Co-Founder, Seismic Foundry
Vica Manos, Managing Director, Anthemis Group
Laura McGuinness, Accenture FinTech Innovation Lab, Accenture
Emily Morse, Investment Professional, Actis LLP
Hélène MOULY, Starups Acceleration Director, BNP Paribas
Emmalyn Shaw, Partner, Omidyar Network Fintech Fund
Olivia Sibony, Head of Impact Investment, Angel Investment Network/SeedTribe
Maria Sipila, CEO&Founder, Sipila Consulting
Reshma Sohoni, Managing Partner, Seedcamp
Briana van Strijp, COO (and acting CPO), Anthemis Group
Katherine Wilson, Investment Executive, Illuminate Financial

Technology Professionals

These ladies are striving to make a contribution in the heart of the Tech part of FinTech. From designing or implementing complex software packages, to making a really innovative contribution to their firm’s systems or processes, they are taking technology to the next level.

Nicole Anderson, Managing Partner, The Redsand Group
Krystyna Biller, Product Manager, iWoca
Tribeni Chougule, Technology Product Manager & Head of Innovation Development(Interim), Visa
Lisa Cochran, Head of Operations Digitization and Technology, Global Consumer Technology, Citi
Lisette Guittard, Global Head of Cyber Security Training and Awareness, Banco Santander
Yasaman Hadjibashi, Head of Data and Analytics, Global Consumer Technology, Citi
Joanne Hannaford, Head of Technology for EMEA and global head of Quality Assurance Engineering, Goldman Sachs
Anna Keren, Engineering Manager, FundingCircle
Swati Lay, Chief Information Security Officer, Funding Circle
Susana Lopes, Senior Product Manager, Onfido
Eve Maler, VP Innovation & Emerging Technology, ForgeRock
Katherine Navarrete, Director of Production Engineering, OnDeck
Ashleigh Petrie, Senior Product Manager, Moneybox
Sonal Rattan, Co-Founder & CTO, Exate Technology
Sarah Rench, Senior Manager in Advanced Analytics, Robotics and AI., EY
Kate Ross, Programme Director, Smart Pension
Frances Salter, Head of Insight, Moneybox
Sophie Theen, Head of HR & Talent, 11:FS
Dawn Trinder, Head of Strategy and Architecture, UK , Unum
Meri Williams, CTO, Monzo
Stacey Winter, EMEA IT Chief Administration Officer, State Street

Policy Makers

FinTech is growing up and with adulthood comes responsibility! We are celebrating the women in regulation, government affairs and policy, who play a vital role in encouraging innovation.

Teana Baker-Taylor, Executive Director, Global Digital Finance
Sophia Bantanidis, Head of Regulatory Strategy and Policy – Treasury and Trade Solutions, Citi
Ozlem Bas, HM Treasury Policy Adviser on Fintech, HM Treasury
Flora Coleman, Head of Government Relations, Transferwise
Anastasia Dokuchaeva, Head of Partnerships, ClauseMatch
Adriana Ennab, Director public policy, Credit Suisse
Liv Freihow, Director of policy, ICT-Norway
Kavita Jain, Director, Emerging Regulatory Issues, FINRA
Cordelia Kafetz, Head of Fintech Hub, Bank of England
Rohini Kumar, Deputy Head, Financial & Professional Services, Dept for International Trade
Sian Lewin, Head of Client Delivery & Research, RegTech Associates
Jana Mackintosh, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs, Worldpay
Suchitra Nair, Fintech Lead – EMEA Centre for Regulatory Strategy, Deloitte
Rosita Najmi, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Faith Reynolds, Consumer Expert, Independent
Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Trade, DIT
Laura Royle, Manager, Innovate, FCA
Nicole Sandler, Regulatory Policy Innovation Lead, Barclays
Ioana Surpateanu, Co-Head of European Govt Affairs- Innovation Strategy and Advocacy, Citi

Marketers & Communicators

From commanding the authoritative voice of their organisation, to sharing key insights that go beyond traditional media, these women play an important role in showcasing the value of FinTech to the world.

Harriet Allner, Senior Account Manager, Common Industry
Tessa Bryant, PR Manager, Seedrs
Leslie Campisi, Chief Marketing Officer, Anthemis Group
Isha Chander, Marketing Director, 6point6
Susanne Chishti, CEO, FINTECH Circle
Nicola Cowburn, Chief Marketing Officer, CUBE
Gaynor Edwards, Global Head of Brand and Communications, Group Innovation, Barclays
Gemma Godfrey, Founder and CEO, Moola
Nim Haas, Head of Marketing, Global Processing Services
Iliyana Ilieva, Startup Marketing Lead UK&I, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Valentina Kristensen, Director, Growth & Communications, OakNorth Holdings
Joy Macknight, Deputy editor, The Banker
Kat Mann, PR Manager, Nutmeg
Jenny McRobb, Head of Relationships, Funding Options
Sybille Mueller, Director, Streets Consulting
Elizabeth Pilkington, Digital Product Development and Innovation, State Street
Misha Rao, Founder and CEO, Haus of FinTech
April Rudin, Founder/CEO, The Rudin Group
Viktoria Tchoudakov, CMO, iwoca
Alysia Wanczyk, Marketing Director, Trezeo
Sarah Williams-Gardener, Head of Public Affairs, Starling Bank
Laurel Wolfe, VP Marketing, Klarna
Ina Yulo, Global Head of FinTech and Financial Services, Team Manager, BrightTALK

Women in FinTech Powerlist Judges

Innovate Finance called on the FinTech ecosystem to nominate and submit applications and received over 1,200 responses, highlighting that there is certainly no lack of female talent within the sector! The process of shortlisting the applications down to 150 for the Powerlist and the Standout 35 has not been an easy job, and we have been grateful to the external support and to our judges in the final selection. All the inspiring women profiled on the Powerlist 2018’s Standout 35 Stars were selected by our esteemed panel of judges, from equality champions to industry leaders.

Ben Brabyn

Hephzi Pemberton

Julia Streets

Laura Citron

Ghela Boskovich

Ron Kalifa OBE