Alisha is a profit-driven strategist and has been a leader of high-performance organisations for over 20 years, working across eCommerce, healthcare, health-tech, insurance & fintech.
She has a leading track record driving over $100m in revenue growth from partnerships and reducing customer acquisition costs. She is a passionate builder of authentic winning cultures and customer-centric teams, with extensive experience providing operational, fiscal, and cross-functional management within complex partnerships.
Alisha is an expert negotiator and builder of strategic alliances and customer relationships, with proven success leading high-performance teams and managing successful partnerships.
Key topics:
Availability:
Monica is a fintech product leader and financial wellbeing advocate who thrives building and scaling startups with impact. She believes the future of fintech is to make fintech more human.
Monica is part of BigPay’s original team, which is now one of the largest NeoBanks in South East Asia. She’s built the product from zero to one, and has been fundamental in setting cultural change and structures in place to go from startup to scaleup.
Prior to BigPay, Monica was one of the first joiners in UK Challenger Tandem Bank, where she helped build the digital bank from scratch. Previously she worked in leading FS brands like Visa and Barclays.
She sits on the Board of PayEd, and is recognised as Singapore’s #Fintech65 Product Leaders and Women in fintech. Monica hosts “Purpose Driven FinTech” podcast, and mentors young professionals.
Key topics:
Availability:
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.
Key topics:
For moderating opportunities:
Availability:
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.
Key topics:
Availability:
Samantha Fogerty is Chief Operating Officer of buy now pay later firm, Payl8r.
After joining as managing director in 2016 at the age of 28, Payl8r has experienced exponential growth with 334% increase in lending volume and doubled its workforce year on year in that time.
Identifying a gap in the market, Samantha leveraged her insight into the millennial finance dilemma to position Payl8r at the cutting edge of the industry.
Samantha’s focus on responsible lending to date has enabled Payl8r to exist as the only retail finance entity to underwrite customers at the point of sale using open banking.
Key topics
Availability:
Hannah Martin is the founder of What Follows, a communications partner for tech startups and scaleups. Hannah has been working across Public Relations, Policy and Communications for the past decade. She has worked in-house at unicorn companies (Wise Series A-E) and has helped build some of the most progressive companies across sectors including fintech, healthtech and the Future of Work.
Today, What Follows is a small team of senior comms experts that specialises in founder profile building and corporate communications. Working directly with founders and their teams, What Follows builds credibility for businesses in the UK and wider Europe, securing coverage in the likes of the BBC, Euronews, the Financial Times, TechCrunch, Sifted and Bloomberg.
Key topics:
Availability:
Yasmina Siadatan is Chief Revenue Officer at Dynamic Planner and part of the Senior Leadership Team and the Board. She is an integral contributor to decision making in the business, working in tandem with the executive team at Dynamic Planner to lead and deliver on its growth strategy and further build the Dynamic Planner go to market function.
Yasmina worked for Lord Sugar in 2009 having won the fifth series of BBC One’s The Apprentice, heading up his flagship tech and digital media organisation. Following that she was headhunted by James Caan of Dragons’ Den fame to help run his private equity organisation. She graduated in economic history from the London School of Economics.
Key topics:
Availability:
Julieta currently leads all Marketing and PR topics at Upvest, a Berlin-based Investment API fintech.
She has a decade of experience in B2B Marketing from a variety of industries, from e-commerce to procurement and fintech. Julieta has a demonstrated history of building, scaling, and leading the growth of B2B brands, as well as building a marketing function and team from the ground up.
She is passionate about helping fintechs develop a distinct voice and a strong brand, and connect with their customers authentically.
Key topics:
Availability:
Alexis is an experienced product marketer and financial services thought leader, specialising in client payment solutions at OpenText Business Network.
Named on the 2023 Women In Fintech Powerlist, she brings a wealth of expertise to the rapidly evolving landscape of banking and payments. Alexis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Auburn University.
Key topics:
Availability:
Ruwani is an experienced payments and loyalty professional, creating customer-centric solutions for over 16 years within tech, product and propositions teams. She is responsible for successfully delivering large and complex solutions globally, recently with EML/Nuapay and previously with Amadeus Payments, Collinson, Barclaycard and American Express.
Ruwani has an expansive breadth of knowledge across the payments and loyalty ecosystems – from gateway processor and acquiring to card schemes, to issuing and rewards programs globally.
She can adapt to change in a fast-paced matrix environment, creating new digital products, identifying new business models and propositions with key emphasis on customer experience. Teamed with strong analytical, leadership and influencing skills to nurture and drive cross-functional teams, Ruwani is an multi-skilled expert in delivering commercially viable solutions through the use of technology.
Key topics:
Availability:
Raquel is currently Head of Marketing for Edenred Payment Solutions. Born in Brazil and raised in Germany, she holds a Master’s in Business Management from the University of Leeds. With over a decade of experience in tech marketing, she transitioned to fintech at Gocardless in 2019 before taking her current role at Edenred Payment Solutions at the end of 2022.
Raquel has built the marketing function within Edenred Payment Solutions from the ground up, as well as leading the marketing strategy for the rebrand – taking the business from ‘PPS’ to ‘Edenred Payment Solutions’ – and launching the news at Money 2020 in 2023.
Today, Raquel drives brand growth, leading a team of experts in product marketing, branding, design, content, and events. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, she actively champions initiatives for women’s empowerment within and beyond the workplace.
Key topics:
Availability:
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.
Key topics:
Availability: