Exclusive: ‘Blockchain Badass’ – Diana Biggs, Valour in “Swashbucklers 2020”

Diana Biggs, CEO of Valour, is certainly no stranger to winning awards. Whether its City AM’s Top 25 UK Fintech Influencers or Blockchain News’ Top 100, Biggs has seen more listings than a public stock exchange. And yes, we did decide to keep that lame joke in there. Biggs has a magical skillset, which we’ve always been quite intrigued by. She’s a blockchain whizz, and marketing maestro. She’ll help you build your product, and then help you scale the hell out of it. Nice. It’s a clever combination, which stands her apart from the crowds. We love reading her blogs and hearing her speak too. Welcome aboard Diana Biggs! 

Crazy and Creative

We like our Swashbucklers to be unconventional. After all, they’ll be venturing into unknown territories, encountering strange new creatures (probably incumbent bankers) and choppy waters. They’ll need to be brave! Biggs is exactly that, she’s not afraid to lead the way and be different. “I suppose my proudest moments are when the “crazy” new idea I’ve been working to help others see the potential of – finally isn’t considered crazy anymore and is just the new normal”, she tells us. 

Biggs has a very proactive style and enjoys creating new things in our industry. “I’m a builder, so I’m my happiest when I’m bringing something new to life – whether a product, partnership or a venture – and ideally something that’s never been done”, she elaborates. “My academic background is in both arts and science, so I enjoy creative strategy as well as the technical aspects of my work”. Bingo. We think that’s the key to her unique skillset. Take note everyone, take note.

What’s next?

Well, we have a bit of an exclusive for you here… Sort of… We couldn’t help but notice that Biggs left her position as HSBC’s Head of Innovation for Private Banking in November 2020, so we had to ask about what’s next. “I am incredibly excited to be announcing a new role in a new venture soon!”, Biggs exclaims. Yayy!! We’re excited too! But despite our best prying, we couldn’t get any further juicy details. Sorry guys. 

But Biggs did reveal some clues about what to expect. “What I can share now is that it is a FinTech, focused on making investing in disruptive innovation simply and accessible for both retail and institutional investors”, she elaborates. “And I’m thrilled to have just been made an Associate Fellow with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, within the FAME (Finance, Accounting, and Management Economics) academic area. So, it’s going to be an exciting 2021!”.

Exciting indeed! We’re delighted to have the legend that is Diana Biggs on our Swashbuckling ship.

This article was published in Swashbucklers 2020, Page 27