Exclusive: ‘No Country for Old Tech’ – Sarah “Raving for a Revolution” Williams-Gardener , FinTech Wales in “Buckaroos 2022”

This story begins not in the dusty planes of a Western backdrop, but in the cosy country of Wales. Wedged between the rocky Irish Sea and a rather the dominating neighbour of England, Wales is a fintech-fierce nation, which packs a punch.

Leading the revolution for Wales

Leading the revolution is the surprisingly approachable Sarah Williams-Gardener. But don’t be fooled by her calm and friendly demeanour. Because, like the Celtic legend of Boudica, this CEO of FinTech Wales means serious business.

“Wales has quietly been starting, scaling and selling amazing fintech businesses here in the Welsh valleys”, Williams-Gardener reveals. (She’s good at her job, so she gets promoting right away. Extra points for Williams-Gardener!). “And now, thanks to the work of Ron Kalifa, our secrets have been discovered, with South Wales and, in particular, Cardiff highlighted as a thriving hub for fintechs”.

Becoming a fintech leader isn’t simply a nice-to-have for a country like smaller Wales. It can turbo-charge the whole economy. Mainstreaming fintech across schools, universities, businesses, towns and cities can override bleak unemployment forecasts and offer a better career to huge segments of society. That’s why we love Williams-Gardener. Her mission can uplift an entire country. Get in Williams-Gardener!

Building tech to help people over profit

So, what makes Williams-Gardener different? Well, we think it might just be her people-first perspective.

“I think it was an advantage for me not being a career banker or technologist when I joined the FinTech sector”, she elaborates, “I’ve always looked at things through a consumer lens”.

Throughout her career, she’s also strived to take mental stress away from tech customers too. She recalls a time when she worked with gambling tech, and how she took up the goal to make it less addictive.

“Understanding the challenge from customers addicted to gambling, reading research about the impact of this on mental health, hearing from parents whose son’s habit had resulted in them taking their lives”, she explains. “I vowed to find a small way to support those who wanted to control their habit. With the help of Starling Banks’ uber smart software engineers we created a customer controlled gambling block. This was soon adopted by other challenger banks and eventually by the traditional banking sector. Imitation, as they say, is the best form of flattery”. BAM! Nicely said.

This article was published in “Buckaroos 2022”, Page 8