speakers

Sonia Rach is Deputy News Editor at FTAdviser and is currently sitting exams towards the CII’s Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. Since joining the world of financial journalism in 2017, Sonia has worked at trade press titles Portfolio Adviser and Money Marketing.

‍

Prior to this, she spent three years in HR journalism where her interest in finance first sparked after she began writing about pensions and auto-enrolment.

‍

Sonia’s career in journalism commenced after she completed an undergraduate degree in English Literature with Journalism from the University of Hertfordshire and an exchange programme at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York.

‍

In October 2023, she also published a children's book called Loose Change: Tina Learns to Save. Written for 6- to 11-year-olds, it aims to introduce the concept of saving and earning interest at an early age.

Elisheva Marcus is a long-time supporter of startup storytelling and an advocate for communications professionals.

‍

She joined European VC Earlybird in 2020 and serves as VP Communications, where she spars with portfolio companies and partners with investors on best practices for funding announcements, communications strategy, and media engagement.

‍

With an MSc in Biomedical Communication from the University of Toronto, Elisheva brings experience from the San Jose Mercury News, Pearson Education, Ada Health, and Bayer to support venture communication.

‍

She is an active member of the European tech ecosystem, a podcast enthusiast, and a fan of journalists, dedicated to bridging the gap between founders, investors, and storytellers.

‍

Sophie Wadsworth is a Vice President in the Business Strategy team at BNY Treasury Services, where she helps shape the growth agenda in an evolving payments landscape.

‍

She brings broad expertise in fintech strategy, innovation, and leadership, built through roles in traditional finance (J.P. Morgan), fintech (start-up ALT21), and the British Army, where she served as an Officer in the Royal Engineers.

‍

A committed advocate for diversity, Sophie champions women’s representation in fintech and works to make financial services more inclusive for veterans.

‍

Anna spearheads global growth initiatives, overseeing sales, marketing, partnerships, and client success. With nearly two decades of experience in the finance industry, Anna brings deep expertise in card payments, honed through key roles at leading organisations such as Soldo, Marqeta, and Barclaycard.

Anna's extensive background covers all aspects of card programme management, including work across banking, issuer processing, and fintech sectors, which uniquely positions her to drive revenue growth and operational efficiency at Paymentology.

‍

Merusha leads Paymentology’s global relationships with key payment networks including Mastercard, Visa, and UnionPay, alongside other strategic partners. She manages incentive agreements and plays a pivotal role in aligning our Regional Growth, Programme Management, and Client Service teams with the Schemes to foster stronger collaboration. She also serves as host of Paymentology’s podcast, The Issuer Academy.

Previously, as Regional Sales Director for Asia, Merusha was instrumental in expanding Paymentology’s footprint across 10 Asia-Pacific countries, spearheading major projects that drove the company’s growth in the region.

Shakeela Williamson is an award-winning marketing leader and Interim / Fractional CMO with 25 years’ experience across fintech, wealth management, payments, banking and insurance.

‍

She is recognised for transforming marketing functions into high-performing growth engines, strengthening brand strategy, leading digital transformation and building teams that deliver measurable business impact. Her leadership spans both global enterprises and PE-backed scale-ups, with senior roles at Citi, Moneycorp and Domestic & General.

‍

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Shakeela combines strategic vision with hands-on delivery. She specialises in customer-focused B2C/D2C growth, while also bringing B2B and B2B2C expertise. Alongside her executive roles, she advises founders and scale-ups on brand and growth strategy, mentors emerging leaders, speaks on marketing effectiveness and leadership and serves as a judge for leading industry marketing awards.

Vix Leyton is a financial services professional, broadcaster and writer with specialist expertise in consumer rights and communications.

‍

Openly queer, she has held senior PR roles in fintech and price comparison, earning recognition at the prestigious Headlinemoney Awards for her work in financial comms. She co-hosts the Spendology Podcast, which explores the psychology of spending and money management in a relatable, engaging way.

‍

A trusted media commentator, Vix appears regularly on shows like Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4), BBC Morning Live, and You and Yours (Radio 4), where her clear, authoritative insight is paired with warmth and humour.

‍

Alongside her career in financial services, she pursues comedy as a side hustle, hosting the award-nominated panel show Comedy Arcade, which has toured nationally and run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her mix of credibility, wit and lived experience makes her a distinctive and authentic voice.

Sarah was General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at PayPal, the world’s largest on-line payments provider. She later launched and ran the European operations of 2 venture-backed businesses – LootCrate and Clearco – delivering double digit revenue growth.

‍

She has also held a variety of commercial positions with Barclays Bank, the Virgin Group, Sainsbury’s and British Airways.

‍

She is currently Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Investment Committee at Gresham House Income and Growth 2 VCT plc, which is listed on the LSE, and a member of the Supervisory Board of VeloBank S.A., a challenger bank in Poland owned by Cerberus.

Sejal partners with founders, senior executives, and Boards to identify and secure leadership talent for C-suite and key management roles.

‍

Before joining Odgers, Sejal spent over a decade in management consulting, beginning her career at McKinsey & Company and later specialising in financial services and strategy at PA Consulting.

‍

Her work spanned the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She went on to hold leadership roles at HSBC and FinTech scale-up Fluidly, where she drove digital innovation through partnerships between banks, FinTechs, and the wider digital ecosystem.

Chiara is a Forbes-featured founder originally from the Caribbean, now based in Rotterdam. With a background in growth marketing and fintech, she co-founded Finuprise, and is currently building Monytri - a platform making finance radically more accessible for underrepresented communities.

‍

She's led growth at VC-backed startups, mentored impact-driven companies through programs like Grow AI, and she regularly speaks on topics including inclusive finance, startup growth, and ethical tech.

‍

She brings a blend of strategic clarity and real-world scrappiness, and loves demystifying money, especially for underrepresented communities in finance.

Dani Palmer is Chief Marketing Officer at Loqbox, a financial wellbeing business helping everyone access a richer life and enjoy a happier, healthier relationship with money.

‍

She has built and led marketing functions across startups and scale-ups, always designing marketing as a growth engine. A firm believer that business can be a force for good, Dani speaks regularly on marketing effectiveness, brand strategy, and financial inclusion with a sharp eye for commercial impact and a deep commitment to purpose-driven growth.

‍

For Dani, the best marketing connects us, teaches us, and grows with us; driven by curiosity, tested through experimentation, and grounded in what makes us human.

As COO, Marca plays a crucial role in ZBD’s mission to revolutionise payments for the interactive entertainment industry, enabling better user experiences and new commercial models for studios and publishers.

‍

Marca brings her impressive fintech leadership experience to ZBD having previously held the roles of Managing Director, Europe and Chair of the Management Board at Modulr Europe regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and De Nederlandsche Bank. She was also Interim Chief Marketing Officer at Modulr and is a Supervisory Board Member for Brex Europe.

Ellie Duncan is an experienced author, editor, panel moderator, speaker and podcast host. She has spent 15+ years covering financial services, with a focus on open banking and open finance, payments and financial inclusion.

‍

She continues to work with Open Banking Expo on a freelance basis, writing about the latest developments in global Open Banking, Open Finance and payments, and hosting the Open Banking Expo Unplugged podcast.

‍

Ellie is the author of 'Open Banking and Financial Inclusion: Creating a Financial System That Provides Security and Equity', published by Kogan Page. She has previously worked at the Financial Times Group.

‍

Nitika is the co-founder of Aila Money, a fintech company that acts as a Money PT, empowering women to achieve their life goals with financial confidence.

‍

With 16 years of experience in finance, she has worked across investment banks and hedge funds in roles spanning trading and COO positions. A CFA charterholder, Nitika’s passion for helping others also led her to pursue a counseling qualification and volunteer with mental health charities.

‍

Coming from a low-income, migrant background, she has firsthand experience navigating personal finance challenges. This drives her commitment to making financial confidence accessible for all.

‍

A seasoned speaker and panelist, she is passionate about leveraging technology to improve financial well-being while addressing the emotional aspects of money management.

‍

She proudly sits on the Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Power List.

‍

Tracy Doree is Venture Partner at Augmentum. She joined the company in her 16th year as a venture investor having been an angel, and founding partner of Kindred Capital, investor at MMC Ventures and Tiny Supercomputer, venture partner at Entrepreneur First, and LPAC member at Common Magic.

‍

Her entrepreneurial experience includes founding Llustre, which was acquired by Fab.com, where she went on to lead the European team.

Tracy began her career at NM Rothschild and Accenture after studying at Oxford University (Maths, First Class). Outside of work, Tracy enjoys practising yoga and functional fitness training.

‍

Kimberley is an award-winning marketer, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor with over 15 years of experience spanning the financial services, technology, retail, mobile, and banking sectors. She co-founded SkyParlour, a global communications agency, in 2009, which has successfully served Fintech clients across the world. As the Managing Director of Started, she leads a PR and marketing program focused on empowering innovative technology startups.
‍

A recognised leader in the Fintech space, Kimberley serves as co-chair of the pro-manchester Fintech committee and is an industry advisor for the University of Salford’s Fintech MSc program. She is passionate about mentoring and is a long-term mentor for Rise by Barclays, Fintech Alliance, and Fintech Circle. Kimberley also contributes to youth education through the Founders for Schools initiative.
‍

As the host of the popular Get Started podcast, Kimberley hosts industry leaders and founders to discuss the evolving landscape of financial technology. She has also hosted the Future of Banking podcast and regularly shares her insights at key events like Web Summit, Fintech Week London, Fintech Fringe, Finance Magnates, and Fintech North. Kimberley's thought leadership is featured in prominent publications such as Fintech Magazine, Payments Expert, Verdict, and The Fintech Power50 journal.

‍

She is also a board advisor to several exciting Fintech start-ups, including ekko and Lemon, with more to be announced soon.