The Heard is a collective of fintech experts sharing their key focuses, and the sort of spokesperson opportunities they’re open to, all in one place.
Too often women are under-represented when it comes to industry panels, events, and podcasts, so we’re bringing together all the fintech players you should have heard of, but maybe haven’t just yet.
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Our mission is to help more women in fintech get into public facing opportunities.
Whether it's events, podcasts, panels, or articles, we're bringing together brilliant women in fintech who can be called on to contribute their thoughts and expertise.
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Valerie Kontor is a dynamic professional with a passion for driving innovation and fostering DEI within the fintech industry. During her tenure at Funding Circle, a London-based fintech pioneering commercial lending solutions, Valerie has traversed diverse roles, ultimately finding her passion in product management.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Valerie is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment both within Funding Circle and across the wider fintech landscape. She’s a co-founder of Black in Fintech, a podcast set to focus on the innovation, challenges, and successes within the fintech space, all from the perspective of Black leaders and entrepreneurs.
She is also listed on the Women in Fintech Powerlist for 2022 and 2023.
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Akila is currently reporting on all things retail banking and fintech for The Financial Times, with a specific focus on the major challengers as well as neobanks in the sector.
Akila started at the publication on the Paul McClean graduate scheme, covering a range of beats from asset management to property to breaking news. She also has direct experience working in operations for one of the UK’s most high profile neobanks.
Akila has an MA in International Journalism from City University, as well as a keen passion for diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. She is particularly interested in financial inclusion for underserved customers.
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Alessandra Guion is the co-founder and General Manager of ‘FinTech Belgium‘, the non-profit organisation federating and promoting fintechs active in Belgium, and supporting the biggest community dedicated to digital finance in Belgium.
With nearly 25 years experience in management, innovation and communication, as well as a passion for sustainability and empowering women, she continues to reinvent ‘FinTech Belgium’, representing the ecosystem on many international stages and growing a very dynamic ecosystem.
With FIRe innovation hub, the organisation aims to facilitate the development of Digital Finance in Belgium through collaborations and open innovation.
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Samantha joined Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) in 2021 and is responsible for leading the strategic direction on payments, including driving payments strategy, fostering payments partnerships and managing the Group’s external relationships across the payments industry and regulators.
Samantha also delivers enterprise-wide services including; domestic and international payments settlement, liquidity and scheme management; payments design consultancy; and payments policy compliance.
Previously, Samantha held roles at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), leading both payments supervision and the regulator’s globally recognised fintech agenda. Prior to this, Samantha held several senior positions at NatWest/RBS in Global Transaction Services (GTS) leading on digital innovation, strategy design, transformation, and regulatory change.
A constant theme throughout her career has been driving progress on inclusion, diversity and allyship. Samantha was appointed as a Director of Swift in 2022 and Deputy Chair in 2023. She also sits on the LBG Fintech Investment Board, acts in a shareholder/advisory capacity to fintechs, and is the LBG payments representative on several prominent industry groups.
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As CEO, Iana Dimitrova sets the strategic direction and vision, and leads the executive team at OpenPayd.
She has extensive experience in the fintech and payments industries and holds a master’s degree in European Economics law and ICT Law from the University of Strasbourg and an Executive MBA from the London Business School.
Iana has been with OpenPayd for over six years and prior to her role, was Head of Legal Affairs, Digital Wallets & Managing Director at fintech Paysafe Bulgaria. Iana is a champion of thought leadership, speaking at various fintech events including Money 20/20, Web Summit and European Blockchain Convention.
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Perpetua Gitungo (Pesh) is the money laundering reporting officer (MLRO) and compliance director at Wise.
Pesh joined Wise in 2017 and comes with a wealth of fincrime experience gained through the management of financial crime in both small and listed companies (payments, banking, CFD/FX and gambling industries).
Pesh is a strong champion for diversity and inclusion in the fintech industry and is a mentor for the Girls Network and her local community.
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Katja is the Fintech Manager at EY, focusing on startup and scaleup growth. She runs the EY FinTech growth programme, a 6-weeks dedicated course to provide FinTech startups with the right resources, tools and connections to scale and grow.
Prior to EY, Katja ran the Tech Nation Fintech programme for three years where she also developed expertise in leading teams as a scrum master and product owner.
Outside of her day job, Katja is also an advisor for early-stage fintech and a mentor at Level39 where she advises on strategy, market entry and growth.
Katja has built her career around supporting early-stage companies, including with operational strategy, building successful teams, forming partnerships and fundraising. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in fintech and frequently participates in activities encouraging women and girls into tech.
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Nicole Casperson is a journalist, podcast host, and the founder of Fintech Is Femme, leading the charge to create an equitable and diverse industry. With over 60,000 industry professionals subscribing to her podcast and newsletter, Nicole is a trusted source of news, insights, and analysis.
Before Fintech Is Femme, Nicole was a finance reporter, covering different B2B niches, from housing and mortgages to auto finance and financial advice. In 2022, Nicole was named a Top Inspiring Female in Fintech by the group NYC Fintech Women. She’s also a finalist for Fintech Nexus Industry Awards as a 2023 DEI Trailblazer.
Nicole has been named a Top Influencer in Financial Twitter by ETFtrends.com and featured in the LA Times and Nasdaq Trade Talks. She often speaks at events including Money 20/20, Empire Startups, Fintech Nexus, Fintech Meet Up, and Future Proof Festival.
Nicole is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com, writing about topics that intersect gender equity, finance, and technology.
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Nicole Casperson is a journalist, podcast host, and the founder of Fintech Is Femme, leading the charge to create an equitable and diverse industry. With over 60,000 industry professionals subscribing to her podcast and newsletter, Nicole is a trusted source of news, insights, and analysis.
Before Fintech Is Femme, Nicole was a finance reporter, covering different B2B niches, from housing and mortgages to auto finance and financial advice. In 2022, Nicole was named a Top Inspiring Female in Fintech by the group NYC Fintech Women. She’s also a finalist for Fintech Nexus Industry Awards as a 2023 DEI Trailblazer.
Nicole has been named a Top Influencer in Financial Twitter by ETFtrends.com and featured in the LA Times and Nasdaq Trade Talks. She often speaks at events including Money 20/20, Empire Startups, Fintech Nexus, Fintech Meet Up, and Future Proof Festival.
Nicole is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com, writing about topics that intersect gender equity, finance, and technology.
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Availability:
Nicole Casperson is a journalist, podcast host, and the founder of Fintech Is Femme, leading the charge to create an equitable and diverse industry. With over 60,000 industry professionals subscribing to her podcast and newsletter, Nicole is a trusted source of news, insights, and analysis.
Before Fintech Is Femme, Nicole was a finance reporter, covering different B2B niches, from housing and mortgages to auto finance and financial advice. In 2022, Nicole was named a Top Inspiring Female in Fintech by the group NYC Fintech Women. She’s also a finalist for Fintech Nexus Industry Awards as a 2023 DEI Trailblazer.
Nicole has been named a Top Influencer in Financial Twitter by ETFtrends.com and featured in the LA Times and Nasdaq Trade Talks. She often speaks at events including Money 20/20, Empire Startups, Fintech Nexus, Fintech Meet Up, and Future Proof Festival.
Nicole is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com, writing about topics that intersect gender equity, finance, and technology.
Key topics:
Availability:
Nicole Casperson is a journalist, podcast host, and the founder of Fintech Is Femme, leading the charge to create an equitable and diverse industry. With over 60,000 industry professionals subscribing to her podcast and newsletter, Nicole is a trusted source of news, insights, and analysis.
Before Fintech Is Femme, Nicole was a finance reporter, covering different B2B niches, from housing and mortgages to auto finance and financial advice. In 2022, Nicole was named a Top Inspiring Female in Fintech by the group NYC Fintech Women. She’s also a finalist for Fintech Nexus Industry Awards as a 2023 DEI Trailblazer.
Nicole has been named a Top Influencer in Financial Twitter by ETFtrends.com and featured in the LA Times and Nasdaq Trade Talks. She often speaks at events including Money 20/20, Empire Startups, Fintech Nexus, Fintech Meet Up, and Future Proof Festival.
Nicole is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com, writing about topics that intersect gender equity, finance, and technology.
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