Image

The Women in FinTech Powerlist 2021 shines a spotlight on the women leading innovation in financial services. Now in its 7th year, the Powerlist has increasingly attracted a global audience, resulting in applications and nominations from around the world. The 2021 iteration shines a spotlight on 250 women across 9 categories.

A select number of women were chosen for the ‘Standout 45’ distinction by a panel of independent judges. Innovate Finance called on the FinTech ecosystem to nominate and submit applications, and received 1000s of responses, highlighting that there is certainly no lack of female talent within the sector!

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

“The transformation of financial services is being driven by passionate, inspiring female leaders representing all levels of seniority and all components of the FinTech ecosystem. In their role as entrepreneurs, founders, investors, bankers, communicators, tech experts, and more, it is these outstanding women who are moving the needle and making financial services more sustainable, more effective, and more inclusive for all. Shining a light on the incredible women making a true difference is an honour, and something we look forward to every year here at Innovate Finance.

We want the Powerlist to serve as a tool for inspiring the next generation of female leaders. While we are only able to profile a small number of outstanding women in this list, we hope it serves as a testament and a tribute to all the incredible females that are changing the world every day. There is so much more to be done in terms in terms of creating a more diverse and equal sector and society, but today let’s celebrate the great achievement that we have made so far, and continue to drive forward even greater change.”

– Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance

Sponsors:

static-logo

Lead Sponsor of the Women in FinTech Initiative

static-logo

Lead Sponsor of the Powerlist 2021

static-logo

Lead Sponsor of the Powerlist 2021

static-logo
static-logo
static-logo
static-logo
static-logo
static-logo

Standout 45 Stars

A select number of women were chosen for the ‘Standout 45’ due to their outstanding contribution to FinTech, these ladies were selected by a panel of independent judges.

Women in FinTech Powerlist 2021

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

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.

Abigail Daniels, Global Head of PR, Wise

Alex Ford, President, North America, Encompass

Alison Livesey, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Payments – Global Head of FIG Sales Strategy & Business Development, J.P.Morgan

Amber Ghaddar, Founder and CIO, AllianceBlock

Amy Vetter, CEO, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, The B3 Method® Institute

Anabel Perez, CEO and Co-Founder, NovoPayment

Anastasia Dokuchaeva, Head of Product, Clausematch

Andrea Reynolds, CEO and Founder, Financial Services

Bianca Granara, CFO, Salary Finance

Bode Abifarin, COO- Chief Operating Officer, Flutterwave

Briana van Strijp, CEO, CPO & Partner, Anthemis Group

Daniela Binatti, Co-Founder and CTO, Pismo

Daniella Lorenzo Rhodes, CTO, Toqio Fintech SL

Deniz Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, Stratyfy

Diana Paredes, CEO & Co-founder, Suade

Eimear O’Connor, Chief Operating Officer, Form3

Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO and Founder, AZA Finance

Emily Reid, Partner, Hogan Lovells

Erica Marquez Avitia, Chief Operating Officer, Old Mission

Fidelma McGuirk, Founder & CEO, Payslip

Fiona Roach Canning, Co-Founder, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, Pollinate

Gabrielle Haddad, Founder & COO, Sigma Ratings Inc.

Georgina Whalley, CEO, Openpay

Helen Child, Founder, Open Banking Excellence (OBE)

Holly Mackay, Founder & CEO, Boring Money

Iana Dimitrova, Chief Executive, OpenPayd

Ioana Surpateanu, Chief Strategy Officer, DIA

Ioanna Stanegloudi, Co-Founder & Chief Risk Officer, finclude

Jenela Gunasekaran, Chief Product Officer, Paydock

Jenifer Swallow, Director, LAWTECH UK

Jenny Just, Co-founder and Managing Partner, PEAK6 Investments

Jess Houlgrave, Chief of Staff, Checkout.com

Jessica Teerovengadum-Naga, Director, Digital Associates Ltd (Founder and Managing Director) SECDEX Group of companies (Co-founder and Director Legal & Compliance) Digital Partners Network Group (Co-Founder and Executive Director)

Jessica Zoutsos, CEO, Capitalex

Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO & Cofounder, AIR – Alliance for Innovative Regulation

Joanne Dewar, Chief Executive Officer, Global Processing Services (GPS)

June Felix, Chief Executive Officer, IG Group

Karen Barrett, CEO & Founder, Unbiased

Kaushalya Somasundaram, Head of UK Payments Partnerships & Industry Relations, Square Inc

Kelly Read-Parish, Chief Operating Officer, Credit Kudos

Klaudia Gorczyca, Director of International Business, PremFina

Lara O’Connor Hodgson, President, CEO and Co-founder, Now®

Lisa Jacobs, CEO, Funding Circle

Liza Haskell, Chief Administrative Officer, Tide

Lorraine Waters, Chief Data Officer, Solidatus

Louise Hill, Co-founder and COO, GoHenry

Louise O’Shea, CEO, Confused.com

Lucy Liu, Co-founder and President, Airwallex

Lynda Coker, Commercial Director, Volt Bank

Maria Pasquale, Co-Founder, UpSpark

Marieke Flament, CEO, NEAR Foundation

Martha Mghendi-Fisher, Founder & Chair, European Women Payments Network (EWPN)

Michelle Darracott, Chief Strategy Officer, Fintech

Misha Rao, GLOBAL FINTECH ADVISOR, SHEARMAN & STERLING LLP

Monica Eaton-Cardone, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Chargebacks911

Monika Liikaamaa, Co-Founder, Group CEO & Chair, Enfuce

Monique Baars, Founder and CEO, FinEazy

Nadia Sood, CEO, CreditEnable

Nadya Hijazi, Global Head of Digital Channels, Wholesale Banking, HSBC

Naomi Braisby, HR Director, LANDBAY

Natasha Wear, CEO of P2P, Zopa

Nathalie Oestmann, Chief Operating Officer, Curve

Neeta Mundra, Financial Services Transformation Advisor, Salesforce

Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive, FinTech Scotland

Nicola Firth, Founder & CEO, Knowledge Bank

Nina Mohanty, CEO and founder, Bloom Money

Noha Shaker, Founder & Secretary General -Egyptian FinTech association, Co-founder and VP -Africa FinTech

Network, Partner-Gobi partners, Egyptian FinTech Association, Africa FinTech Netwrok, Gobi Partners

Nora Apsel, Co-Founder and CEO, Morty

Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Chief Strategy Officer, Blend Network

Roxane Sanguinetti, Head of strategy, GHCO

Rupal Patel, SVP Data insights & risk Intelligence, Acin

Ruth Spratt, Commercial Director and Board Director, Zip

Ruth Wandhöfer, Fintech industry leader, VC partner and digital transformation specialist, GC Partners and Gauss Ventures

Sabrina Del Prete, Founder and CEO, Kore Labs Ltd

Samantha Seaton, CEO, Moneyhub Enterprise

Sandra Tobler, CEO, Futurae

Sarah Kirshbaum Levey, Chief Executive Officer, Betterment

Seema Khinda Johnson, Co-Founder & COO, Nuggets

Sharon Butler, EVP, Global Education, Flywire, Flywire

Sharon Henley, Chief Product Officer, Coincover

Sharon Lewis, Sector Group Leader of Finance, Insurance and Investment, Hogan Lovells

Shelby Austin, CEO, Arteria AI

Sinead McHale, Chief Executive Officer, Satago Financial Solutions Limited

Sofie Blakstad, CEO, hiveonline

Sophie Gerber, Co-CEO, TRAction

Sophie Guibaud, Chief Commercial & Growth Officer, Fiat Republic

Suezann Holmes, CEO & Founder, ScaleXP

Sujata Bhatia, Chief Operating Officer, Monzo

Tammy Stronghold, CEO and Co-Founder, Stronghold

Tanya Bartolini, Chief Revenue Officer, Jacobi

Tanya Van Court, Founder & CEO, Goalsetter

Tina Jabeen, Former CEO and Founding Managing Director, Startup Bangladesh Ltd.

Tingting Peng, Head of Capital Markets, ESG, and Communications, Moove

Tram Anh Nguyen, co-founder, CFTE

Ulyana Shtybel, CCO, HighCastle

Uma Rajah, CEO, CapitalRise

Victoria Gosling, Chief strategy officer, Auden

Victoria Roberts, Director of Fintech Delivery Panel & Insurtech Board, Tech Nation

Yael Tamar, CEO & Co-founder, SolidBlock

Rising Stars

Dedicated to Catherine Wines.

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.

Alice Tapper, Founder, Go Fund Yourself

Anastasia Kinsky, Head of Programmes and Content, Global Digital Finance

Ashlyn Lackey, Vice President – Startup Commercialization, Citi

Cherrie Liu, Founder of NUS MBA FinTech Club, NUS

Chryssi Chorafa, Founder and CEO, StarLiX

CJ Tayeh, Founder & CEO, Flank Digital

Clare Joy, Director, Strategy & Expansion, onfido

Clarisse Awamengwi, Blockchain and Digital Assets Specialist, World Economic Forum

Doina Chiselita, Manager, FinTech Strategy, EY

Elise Weber, Co-founder and Chief sales and marketing officer, Skytra

Elizabeth Boampong, Compliance Analyst, Curve

Ella Hastings, CMO / COO, Wagonex Ltd

Evin Cheikosman, Policy Analyst, Crypto Impact and Sustainability Accelerator (CISA), World Economic Forum

Farhana Kuddus, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, 10x Banking

Fran Warrington, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Funding Circle

Galina Stavskaya, Investment Director, Claro Money

Georgia Haigh, Investment Analyst, Anthemis Group

Gerisha Nadaraju, Head of Product Operations, Dojo

Gloria Li, Research Assistant, Harvard Business School

Gwera Kiwana, Product Manager, 11:FS

Irina Erofeeva, Product lead developer, Schwarzthal Tech

Irina Mnohoghitnei, Senior Fintech Specialist, Bank of England

Kat Cloud, UK Policy Lead, Plaid

Lauren Taylor, Business Development Manager, KPMG

Lida Loem, Co-Founder and Head of Learning Design, SHE Investments

Malvika Taneja, Strategy Consultancy Partnerships Lead, Thought Machine

Marion Laboure, Director at Deutsche Bank and Senior Lecturer at Harvard University, Deutsche Bank & Harvard University

Merit Valdsalu, CEO & co-founder, Single.Earth

Nadezhda Ivanova, CMO, Unlimint

Natasha Jones, Early-Stage Investor, Octopus Ventures

Nida Rahimi-Naeem, Field Marketing Manager, Relativity

Nida Sattar, International Payments Product Lead, ClearBank

Nyasha Madzimbamuto-Ray, Client Manager, Capital on Tap

Phoebe Singer, Marketing and Communications Analyst, mmob

Rosie Zehtab, Head of Community, Illuminate Financial

Sabah Mathur, Legal Counsel, Checkout.com

Shelby Wilson, Agile Coach, Agilis Consultancy Ltd

Vinita Ramtri, Head of API Standards and Governance, HSBC

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.

Chloe Dean, Senior Customer Success Manager, Onfido

Dawn Knaggs, Financial Controller, Privalgo Ltd

Donna Parisi, Global Head of Financial Services and FinTech, Shearman & Sterling LLP

Emily Sharland, Associate Director – FinTech Services, Smith & Williamson

Fiona Ghosh, Partner, Head of Fintech, Addleshaw Goddard LLP

Jacqui Hatfield, Partner, Head of Financial Services Regulatory (UK), Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP

Jelena Madir, General Counsel, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Kama Totherow, VP Professional Services, OptiFunder Corp.

Kate Bohn, Global Head of Private Markets Technology, MAM, Macquarie Group

Lisa Gutu, COO, Salt Edge

Louise Brett, Vice Chair; FinTech and Financial Services Innovation Leader Deloitte UK and Europe, Deloitte LLP

Mireia Reyes, Head of HR, Smart Pension

Mukankunga (Angel) Bisamaza, Digital Finance & Remittance Specialist, United Nations Capital Development Fund

Mumuksha Singh, Senior Associate, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP

Ruth Pearson, General Counsel, LendInvest

Sarah Woodland, MANAGING DIRECTOR – HEAD OF DIGITAL BANKING AND MARCUS UK LEGAL, GOLDMAN SACHS

Seema Farazi, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

Sharon Chen, FinTech Strategy, EY

Sharon Li, Innovation Mindset Lead, Barclays

Sophie Bialaszewski, Head of People, Culture and Transformation, LLoyds Banking Group

Sophie Theen, Chief Customer & People Officer, Oakam

Sue McLean, Partner, Technology, Baker McKenzie

Tea Muratovic, CoFounder, Managing Partner, Seasonax

Tribeni Chougule, Director, Inclusive Impact and Sustainability, Europe, Visa

Yasmin Johal, Associate, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP

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.

Sponsored by:

Image

Alejandra M. J. Litterio, Co-Founder & Chief Research Officer, Eye Capital Ltd.

Anna Wilmot, Product Manager, Wagestream

Casey Lord, Product Director, Monzo

Dimitrina Baleva, Lead of Agile Delivery, Tide

Dipti Kulkarni, Senior Vice President, Bank of America

Elizabeth Prendergast, Software Engineer, Yapily

Elsie Russell Brown, VP, Technology Product Management, Grayscale

Inga Mullins, CEO & Founder, Fluency

Isabe Pitt, Head of Core Services, Zopa

Jane Stroucken, Programme Manager, ModusBox Inc.

Lakshmi Subbramanian, Engineering manager, Alloy

Rosie O’Donnell, Software Engineer, Fluidly

Sophie Dermaux, Technical Programme Manager, Onfido

Policymakers & Regulatory Experts

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.

Alison Donnelly, Director, FSCom Limited

Aneth Kasebele, Regional Policy Advisor, Inclusive Digital Economies, UNCDF

Angie Huff, Regulatory Advisory Director, Kaizen Reporting

Flora Coleman, Director of Public Affairs and Global Society, Klarna

Francesca Hopwood Road, Head of RegTech & Advanced Analytics, FCA

Funmi Dele-Giwa, General Counsel & Head, GRC, MFS Africa

Jannah Patchay, Originating Team Member and Policy Lead, Digital Pound Foundation

Jessica Bilcock, Public Policy and Campaigns Manager, Monzo

Jessica Rusu, Chief Data, Information, & Intelligence Officer, Financial Conduct Authority

Kay Swinburne, Vice Chair of Financial Services, KPMG

Laura Navaratnam, Director, Gattaca Horizons

Maria Palmieri, Head of Public Policy, Yapily

Nicole Sandler, Head of Digital Policy, Financial Institution (Bank)

Olivia Broderick, General Counsel & Head of Regulatory, Checkout.com

Philippa Martinelli, Global FinTech & Innovation Advisor, Portfolio includes Department for International Trade, UNICEF Venture Fund

Rachel Kent, Partner, Hogan Lovells, Hogan Lovells

Sarah Green, LAW COMMISSIONER FOR COMMERCIAL AND COMMON LAW, LAW COMMISSION OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Sid Ulker, Counsel, Ashurst

Sophia Bantanidis, Head of Regulatory Strategy and Policy Innovation Lab, Citibank

Yasmeen Al Sharaf, Director – Head of FinTech & Innovation Unit, Central Bank of Bahrain

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.

Adizah A. Tejani, Global Manager, HSBC Ventures

Anais Cisneros, Investor /Operator | Fintech | INSEAD MBA | Included VC

Smita Aggarwal, Global Investments Advisor, Flourish Ventures

Yvonne Bajela, Principal and founding member, Impact X capital

Paula Blazquez, Solano Head of Investments InnoCells, Bank Sabadell

Monica Brand Engel, Founder/Partner, Quona Capital

Pauline Brunel, Investment Manager, Blackfin Tech

Briehan Burke, Principal, Keen Venture Partners

Jennifer Byrne, CEO & Co-Founder, Quesnay Inc.

Elizabeth Davis, Investor, Anthemis Group

sabelle Gallo, Partner, Breega

Tricia Kemp, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Oak HC/FT

Ellen Logan, Associate, Augmentum Fintech

Cecilia Lundborg, Senior Associate, Hedosophia

Peggy Mangot, Operating Partner, PayPal Ventures

Laviva Mazhar, Investment Associate, Luge Capital

Gloria Monfrini, Venture Partner, Redbus

Emily Morse, Principal, Actis Capital

Deepali Nangia, Venture Partner, Cosmic and Co

Lois Ollerenshaw, Venture Partner, Nationwide Building Society

Katie Palencsar, Investor, Venture Studio Lead, Anthemis

Kristina Söderberg, Investment Manager SEB, AB

Emma Steele, Investment Director, Ascension Ventures

Angela Strange, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Kristy Trieste, Chief Financial Officer, Motive Partners

Katherine Wilson, Venture Investor, Illuminate Financial

Sarah Kocianski Head of Strategic Insights, Fintech Founders factory

Sophie Winwood, Investor, Anthemis Group

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.

Anhar Khanbhai, Senior PR Manager (Pacific and Japan), Wise (formerly Transferwise)

Ani Petrova, Founder, AP Marketing Solutions

Anna Panayi, Product Marketing Manager, Claro Money

Becci Furnell, Head of Global Press Office, Open Banking Excellence (OBE)

Caroline Vaughn, Head of External Affairs and PR, Minna Tech

Christy Fung, Global Lead, Customer Success, Checkout.com

Courteney Way, Marketing Director, Funding Options

Elise Brown, Marketing Director, Anthemis Group

Emily Thomas, UK Consumer PR Lead at Klarna, Klarna

Georgie Scott, Head of Brand and Partnerships, Wagestream

Harriet Allner, Fintech Director / Fintech Lead, Common Industry

Isha Chander, Executive Director, Head of EMEA Marketing, Payments, JPMorgan Chase & Co

Leigh Rimmer, Senior PR Manager, LendInvest

Lucy Heavens, Chief Marketing Officer, 10x Banking

Lucy Woolfenden, Founder of The Part-Time CMO & Scale Up, The Part-Time CMO

Nicola Cowburn, Founder & Managing Director, Finarama Marketing Ltd

Olivia Minnock, Editor, FinTech Alliance

Payal Raina, Founder, FinTech B2B Marketing

Rachel Kerrone, Director of Brand and Marketing, Starling Bank

Sarah Aird-Mash, Head of EMEA Marketing, Currencycloud

Wambui Karanja, Director, LEA Client Services Limited

ESG

This new category seeks to recognise the women who are going above and beyond to embed environmental, social and governance principles into the FinTech ecosystem; or who have founded, or lead, a firm that uses FinTech to solve some of the key problem areas facing society.

Sponsored by:

Image

Ajaita Shah, Founder & CEO, Frontier Markets

Chia Lee, UK Head of Compliance, Funding Circle

Dana Lunberry, Senior Strategy Advisor, ESG Base

Danielle Treharne, Director EMEA, WorldRemit

Jude Cook, CEO & Co-Founder, Share In Ltd

Lesley Li, CEO & Co-founder, u impact (impact4good GmbH)

Lishia Erza, CEO, ASYX

Natasha Condon, Managing Director, Global Head of Core Trade, J.P.Morgan

Rosita Najmi, Head, Global Social Innovation, PayPal

Yodaly Sierra-Rubio, founder – CEO, eco2wallet.com

Hubs

This new category is open to women who work in international and national hubs or ecosystems; non-governmental organisations; schools, colleges or universities. We are seeking examples fro, those who go the extra mile to link industry and academia; or who convene a community of FinTech innovators to create a responsible, diverse and inclusive culture.

Charlotte Rønje, CEO of Jamii.one, Jamii.one

Clare Whitehead, Head of Rise London and Barclays FinTech Platform Lead, Barclays (specifically, Rise the #HomeofFinTech)

Dr. Wajeeha Awadh, Chief Digital Officer, Al Baraka Banking Group

Gina Fanning, CEO, CompliNet Ltd

Karan Elliott, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Enterprise & Innovation (FinTech) Ambassador for the Digital Poverty Alliance Prime Minister’s Challenge Group for Dementia – Digital Inclusion, Newcastle University

Marjolaine Chaintreau, Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation, Better Than Cash Alliance at United Nations Capital Development Fund

Masego Mbaakanyi, Founder, Fintech Association of Botswana

Michelle Beyo, CEO & Founder, Finavator Inc.

Michelle Tran, Co-Founder, NYC FinTech Women

Pinar Ozcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Oxford University

Remonda Kirketerp-Møller, Founder and CEO, Muinmos

Sarah Williams-Gardener, Fintech Wales CEO, Fintech Wales

Taynaah Reis, CEO and Co-Founder, Moeda

Judges

Innovate Finance called on the FinTech ecosystem to nominate and submit applications and received nearly 1000 responses, highlighting that there is certainly no lack of female talent within the sector! Getting the Powerlist down to 165 females, and selecting the Standout 35 is never an easy job. We are grateful to our independent external support, and to our judges to help us make that final selection. All the inspiring women profiled on the Powerlist 2020’s Standout 35 Stars were selected by our esteemed panel of judges. All the inspiring women profiled on the Powerlist 2020’s Standout 35 Stars were selected by our esteemed panel of judges, from equality champions to industry leaders.

Amy French

Amy French

Level39

twitter-icon

Clara Durodié

Clara Durodié

Founder and CEO, Cognitive Finance Group

twitter-icon

Julian Wells

Julian Wells

Whitecap Consulting

twitter-icon

Ezechi Britton

Ezechi Britton

Impact X Capital

twitter-icon

Andy Ayim MBE

Andy Ayim MBE

Angel Investing School

twitter-icon

June Angelides MBE

June Angelides MBE

Samos Investments

twitter-icon

Stephen Ingledew

Stephen Ingledew

FinTech Scotland / Enterprise Scotland

twitter-icon

Become A Sponsor Of The Women In FinTech Initiative

Innovate Finance has a number of opportunities to work with partners to deliver the Women in FinTech Initiative. Get in touch and learn more about becoming a sponsor.

Sponsor Opportunities