Innovate Finance Publishes Women in FinTech 2017 Powerlist

Innovate Finance today published its 2017 Women FinTech Powerlist. The initiative is a celebration of the achievements and talent of women across the FinTech ecosystem as they continue to play a crucial role in the innovation and evolution of financial services.

Launched in 2015, the Powerlist highlights the contributions that women make in shaping the future of FinTech as well as the talent within Innovate Finance’s membership. Innovate Finance has over 275 members including financial institutions, startups and SMEs. 26 of these companies are led by female founders and CEOs, including Akoni, Essentia Analytics, GainX, Mangopay, Marble, Scalable Capital, Starling Bank and Neyber.

Innovate Finance launched the Powerlist initiative earlier this year, calling on the FinTech ecosystem to nominate and submit the names of female colleagues who should be recognised for their contributions.

Commenting on the Powerlist, Charlotte Crosswell, CEO of Innovate Finance said: “The 2017 Women in FinTech Powerlist reflects the major contribution that women are making in the new world of financial services.”

“This year’s list is longer than ever and the range of skills that each nominee brings underscores the different talent we need to drive FinTech forward. From CEOs and professional services executives to graduates embarking on their new career journeys – our power list initiative shines a spotlight on everyone that is helping to create one of the most exciting and dynamic sectors in finance. Innovate Finance is proud to celebrate the achievements of all of you – and hope to see this list grow bigger every year. Closing the gender gap and promoting diversity remain priorities for our organisation. We all have a role to play in making financial services better for consumers – and creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of those we serve is a step in the right direction.”

In addition to celebrating the Powerlist, Innovate Finance is hosting a 2017 Women in FinTech Powerlist launch event with the support of Hogan Lovells and Lloyds Banking Group.

Rachel Kent, Partner and Global Head of Hogan Lovells Financial Institutions Sector, said: “The women celebrated today are doing fantastic things for the FinTech industry and we are proud to partner with Innovate Finance to profile their achievements, and to be considered among them. At Hogan Lovells we firmly believe diversity of thought results in better solutions for our clients and are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of our clients and community. With these inspiring women representing FinTech’s finest it’s clear the sector will continue to be at the forefront of innovation, changing the way we do business for the better.”

Sophie Bialaszewski, Head of Innovation Culture, Lloyds Banking Group said: “The 2017 Women in FinTech Powerlist is a great way to showcase the talent we have in the sector and help the next generation of women see the possibilities and opportunities there are for them in financial services. 

Lloyds Banking Group is a founding member of Innovate Finance and we know that diversity of people is vital to the success of our organisation. We have committed to increasing the number of women in senior roles at the Group to 40% by 2020. The UK still has a lot of work to do, as recent research revealed only 23% of employees in the UK tech sector are women. Our desire is to create an inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves, to build fantastic careers and in turn, provide the best customer experience.”