The Financial Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of 2023. The fintech industry represents a fusion of innovative solutions that leverage cutting-edge technologies to enhance and revolutionize traditional financial processes. The exceptional women featured in this year’s list play an increasingly pivotal role in the sector, contributing diverse perspectives to the development of fintech solutions.
Their expertise ranges from digital payments and blockchain to robo-advisors and artificial intelligence, reflecting the industry's transformative impact on how individuals and businesses manage, invest, and interact with money. The awardees on this list were selected based on our analysis of hundreds of candidates, taking into consideration professional milestones achieved, demonstrated domain expertise, and longevity in the fintech field.
Some of the awardees on this year’s list include Louisa Murray, the Chief Sales Officer at Railsr, one of CIBC and Barclays Bank’s first female traders. Another recipient, Sherrie Rogers, Head of Global Sales Development at Kushki Mundial, plays a crucial role in standardizing payment interoperability in Latin America, reducing costs, and improving online payment processes. We also have Emmalyn Shaw, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Flourish Ventures, who leads the US investment team, supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs and disruptive fintech companies in her portfolio.
We commend these women for their commitment to the organizations they serve. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of 2023.
1. Leslie Gillin
Company: Pagaya Technologies
Title: Chief Growth Officer
Leslie Gillin is Pagaya Technologies’ Chief Growth Officer, overseeing the company’s global growth strategy, business development, partnerships, marketing, and public relations. With over 30 years of experience, Gillin has extensive expertise in marketing and product and business development for financial institutions. She adamantly believes in Pagaya’s mission to reshape the lending marketplace by using sophisticated AI and data-driven analysis to bring more Americans into the mainstream economy.
Gillin joined Pagaya in 2021 from JPMorgan Chase, where she served as CMO of the firm. She also served as the President of CoBrand Cards and has held senior executive leadership positions at Bank of America, Citi, and MBNA, which included assignments in Canada and the UK. Gillin serves on the board of Establishment Labs, a women’s biotech company, and has served on the board of Ad Council, MasterCard UK Forum, the Philadelphia International Council of the Arts, and the Delaware Bankers Association.
2. Gina Nichols
Company: Nymbus
Title: Chief Information Security Officer
Gina Nichols is the Chief Information Security Officer at Nymbus, a prominent player in the financial services sector that offers modern alternatives to traditional business models for banks and credit unions. Nichols joined Nymbus in 2021, starting as a Senior Sales Engineer.
With a career spanning 22 years, Nichols began in data center operations at Stefanini TechTeam, followed by a role as a system network administrator at John Deere. She then worked as a Project Manager at United Healthcare and progressed to the position of Technical Product Manager at Fiserv before joining Nymbus. Nichols holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Network Administration from St. Ambrose University, bringing diverse technical experience to her role as CISO at Nymbus.
3. Stephanie Myers
Company: Bluefin
Title: Senior Vice President, Vendor/Partner Management and Procurement
Stephanie Myers is the Senior Vice President of Vendor/Partner Management and Procurement at Bluefin, a leading player in integrated payments with a focus on encryption and tokenization technologies. With 300 global partners, Bluefin serves 34,000 connected enterprise and software clients across 55 countries. In her role, Myers oversees client and partner support, as well as the onboarding, deployment, and implementation teams for Bluefin.
Myers initially joined Bluefin as the VP of Relationship Management. Before her tenure at Bluefin, she held roles as a Partner Manager at Moneris Solutions and an Account Manager at SPSS. Myers is a graduate of Michigan State University.
4. Sharon Carmeli
Company: Bluevine
Title: General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Sharon Carmeli has over 18 years of experience practicing law and working with private and public companies. Serving as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for the past eight years at Bluevine, an online banking platform purpose-built for small businesses, Carmeli built the company’s legal and compliance department. Under her leadership, Bluevine developed a robust compliance management system, regulatory monitoring, and comprehensive policies and procedures essential to supporting Bluevine’s growth.
In the past, Carmeli served as President of the Innovative Lending Platform Association’s BoD, founded TechGC - a community of General Counsels of VC and high-growth technology companies, and is a member of the Financial Technology Association, the WGCN association, and NYC Fintech Women. She was also a featured speaker on public policy’s impact on fintech and banking at Money 20/20 in 2023. Carmeli received her master’s degree in law from the University of Chicago and is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Israel.
5. Luan Cox
Company: FinMkt
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Luan Cox is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FinMkt, a customizable, embedded SaaS solution for home improvement and healthcare point-of-sale financing. FinMkt’s award-winning, API-driven technology offers speed-to-market for banks, credit unions, and alternative lenders by providing a real-time, end-to-end digital consumer financing platform combined with a marketplace of high-quality home improvement companies and healthcare providers.
Previously, Cox was the Founder and GM of Interactive Data Managed Solution, EVP of Global Sales and Marketing for Stockpoint, and Executive Director of Partner Solutions for Quote.com. She received her BBA degree in Finance from the University of North Texas.
6. Debbie Kemp
Company: Biz2Credit
Title: Chief People Officer
Debbie Kemp is the Chief People Officer at Biz2Credit. She leads in providing small businesses with optimal funding options through innovative technology, streamlining processes, and contributing to operational excellence. Kemp is a distinguished Global Senior Executive, Human Capital Strategist, and M&A specialist who has cultivated an illustrious career marked by outstanding achievements and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Originally hailing from Kansas City, her journey commenced at Goldman Sachs, leading an HR M&A team, leaving an indelible mark on the organization through her pivotal role in driving new revenue streams. Transitioning to Avaya, Kemp excelled as Director of HR M&A, showcasing her prowess in overseeing diverse responsibilities and navigating complex challenges. Her subsequent roles at Heidrick & Struggles, Velocity Technology Solutions, and Bankrate demonstrated her ability to revamp HR functions and drive organizational excellence.
As Chief People Officer at MediaCom, Kemp spearheaded transformative initiatives, earning the company a spot on the 2020 Diversity Best Practices inclusion index. Subsequently, as CHRO at BRANDED, she implemented innovative HR strategies, leaving a lasting impact on the organization's culture and success. Kemp’s dedication to diversity and inclusion extends to her role as a Charter Member and Advocate for Until There Are Nine™, where she actively empowers women in the workforce. Additionally, in her freelance role at DCK Enterprises, she serves as a business advisor and strategic coach, assisting entrepreneurs and companies in achieving their desired results. Beyond corporate roles, Kemp, a small business owner, manages two retail liquor stores in New Jersey, aligning with her commitment to supporting and uplifting small businesses.
7. Stacy Greiner
Company: DailyPay
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Stacy Greiner is the Chief Operating Officer of DailyPay. She is responsible for driving scaled growth leading operations, customer success and service, and the company’s people team. DailyPay, powered by its industry-leading technology platform, is on a mission to build a new financial system for everyone. The company delivers the industry's leading on-demand pay solution with modern, insight-driven pay strategies that help America's leading employers activate their workforce and build stronger relationships with their employees, so they feel more engaged, work harder, and stay longer.
Greiner most recently served as the GM of the Sales and Marketing Solutions division of Dun & Bradstreet, where she was responsible for all profit and loss. Her experience spans senior executive roles at Cisco, IBM, and Accenture, where she led globally-diverse Product, Marketing, Engineering, and Data & Analytics organizations. Trained as an Aerospace Engineer at Iowa State University, Greiner also holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management. She sits on the board and serves as a member of the Audit Committee of Proto Labs.
8. Jenny Beazley
Company: Onfido
Title: Vice President, Customer Success
Jenny Beazley is the Vice President of Customer Success at Onfido, where she leads the development of a top-notch, customer-focused CSM organization. Her role is crucial in ensuring customer retention and setting the foundation for future growth. Onfido simplifies digital identity verification, allowing easy access to services by digitally authenticating users through its Real Identity Platform. This platform empowers businesses to tailor verification methods using a no-code orchestration layer, combining document and biometric verifications, trusted data sources, and passive fraud signals to meet specific risk, friction, and regulatory requirements.
Before Onfido, Beazley held key positions, including Senior Director of WW Customer Solutions, Strategy and Operations at Tableau Software, and Global Director of Voice of Customer Analytics and Intelligence at Dell Technologies. She started her career as a UniVerse and UniData Database Engineer at IBM Global Services. Beazley earned her MBA from the Open University and holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Sheffield.
9. Joanne McMullan
Company: FINEOS
Title: Chief People Officer
As Chief People Officer of FINEOS, Joanne McMullan is responsible for leading global HR, Learning and Development practices, and Change Management programs across the company. Her goal is to deliver an employee-oriented, high-performance culture aligned to support the organizational growth strategy. FINEOS is a provider of core systems for life, accident, and health insurance carriers globally, with seven of the ten largest employee benefits insurers in the US as well as a 70% market share of group insurance in Australia. With employees and offices throughout the world, the company works with innovative, progressive insurers in North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.
McMullan has held senior HR positions since joining FINEOS in 2000. She was responsible for expanding the HR team and introducing global HR support procedures to support eight new countries. Before joining FINEOS, McMullan held several leadership and key roles across various industries including recruitment, insurance, and banking. She earned her master’s degree in global HR management from Liverpool University and her undergraduate degree in HR management from the National College of Ireland. She earned her national diploma in business studies from North West Regional College.
10. Anadri Chisolm-Noel
Company: Boast
Title: Vice President of Human Resources
Anadri Chisolm-Noel, Boast's Vice President of Human Resources, has over 20 years of dynamic leadership experience across various industries. She is a results-driven senior leader specializing in strategic talent management, covering leadership coaching, employee development, change management, performance management, succession planning, workplace diversity, and team development. Boast helps you access the billions of dollars available in R&D tax credits and funding to improve insights and grow faster. Their software integrates your financial, engineering, and project data to increase the speed, accuracy, and size of eligible tax incentives.
Starting her career in 2016 as Director of Talent and training at CAN Capital, Chisolm-Noel progressed to become the Senior Director of DE+I, Culture & Talent at Cox Media Group before joining Boast. As the founder of ICUNMe, she is dedicated to enhancing cross-cultural human networks through media enterprises. Chisolm-Noel holds an MBA from Emory University, Goizueta Business School, an EdM from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an undergraduate degree in psychology from Connecticut College.
11. Parilee Edison Wang
Company: Alloy
Title: Chief Product Officer
Parilee Edison Wang is the Chief Product Officer at Alloy, a global identity risk decision-making platform for banks and fintech companies. She initially joined Alloy as the Head of Product. Before Alloy, Wang served as SVP and Head of Product at Bread Financial, contributing to its $450 million acquisition by Alliance Data Systems in December 2021. Wang's track record includes roles at OnDeck Capital, where she played a key role in new product development and global expansion efforts, contributing to a successful $1.3 billion IPO. She also served as the Manager of Digital Business Development at Barnes & Noble.com.
Wang holds a BA in international relations from Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with Distinction. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was recognized as a Baker Scholar.
12. Liz Ratto
Company: Cedar
Title: Chief People Officer
Liz Ratto is the Chief People Officer at Cedar, a healthcare disruptor connecting providers and payers through an innovative platform. Cedar's goal is to optimize the healthcare consumer journey using data science and interactive design.
In her role, Ratto directly oversees People Experience & Communications, People Business Partnership & Operations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Learning & Development, and Executive Administration at Cedar. With previous leadership roles at TrialSpark and Clover Health, along with experience as a support lead at Microsoft, Ratto brings a wealth of expertise to her position. She graduated from Northeastern University with an undergraduate degree in journalism.
14. Grace Caputo
Company: Payment Source
Title: Chief Growth Officer
Grace Caputo, an executive with over two decades in prepaid and telecom, currently serves as Chief Growth Officer at Payment Source. Known for her ability to navigate industry trends and drive market success, she focuses on introducing new products and channel opportunities. Payment Source powers payment methods that unlock new value for Canadian businesses, the government, and the people they serve. They partner with brands like Amazon, PayPal, Paytm, Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Post, Intuit, Mastercard, and Visa to give every Canadian more ways to pay and provide business and government more ways to be paid.
Caputo joined Payment Source in 2014 as GM, progressing to VP of Prepaid Products & Partnerships before her current role. Her prior experience includes roles such as Manager, Business Development at Go Prepaid, and Channel Manager at Roadpost. Caputo holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa.
15. Emmalyn Shaw
Company: Flourish Ventures
Title: Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Emmalyn Shaw is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Flourish Ventures, an early-stage global venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven entrepreneurs and industry influencers working towards a fair financial system. Shaw leads the firm’s US investment team. Her current portfolio of disruptive fintech companies includes Brigit, Chime, Clerkie, Cushion.ai, EarnUp, Jetty, Kin, Mantl, Propel, Skipify, Steady, TrueBiz and Unit. Shaw has 23 years of venture investing experience, working closely with entrepreneurs to build large-scale businesses. Before launching Flourish, Shaw was a Partner at Omidyar Network where she co-managed the Financial Inclusion investment team. She joined Omidyar from Oak Investment Partners where she spent more than eight years deploying $200+ million in leading technology companies. Before Oak, Shaw invested across late-stage technology companies with VantagePoint Partners and early-stage innovators with the Barksdale Group, a venture fund led by former CEO of Netscape, Jim Barksdale.
Before her work in venture, Shaw worked as an Investment Banker in Morgan Stanley’s Technology group during the 90’s. She began her career as a Product Manager for a fintech company, MSCI Barra, a leading portfolio analytics software company. Shaw holds an MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business, a BA degree in Economics, and a minor in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of the YPO Golden Gate Chapter.
16. Sherrie Rogers
Company: Kushki Mundial
Title: Head of Global Sales Development
As Head of Global Sales Development for Kushki Mundial, Sherrie Rogers has been an important part of Kushki’s goal to standardize the interoperability of payments in Latin America. Kushki, the world-class payment platform that connects Latin America through payments, helps businesses reduce the cost and complexity of payments online while improving acceptance rates and reducing fraud. With less than a decade of existence, Kushki operates locally in five countries and leverages local teams to deliver customized solutions for clients in each country.
Rogers has over 25 years of experience in finance, sales, and consulting and has held a number of leadership roles in different companies and fintech over the years. Her career has always been characterized by strong motivation and drive coupled with exceptional communication and leadership skills. Rogers started as Head of SME Sales at the Royal Bank of Scotland Business and went on to be Head of SME Sales at WorldPay, Managing Director at Unity Resourcing, and then a Senior Global Payments Consultant at Worldline Global. She has a strong background in payment processing, global payments, and merchant services. She obtained her BA in Business and Finance at the University of Leeds, she also holds a specialist payments certification from Visa International.
17. Beatriz Callaghan
Company: Digital Asset
Title: Sales Director
Beatriz Callaghan began her professional career five years ago. Today she is the Sales Director at Digital Asset, a company building platform and developer tools and working with the best modern infrastructure providers to change how businesses interact.
Starting her career in 2018 as a Business Development Analyst at Lazada Group, Callaghan later co-founded Bombom. Morocco and MR.BOHO, showcasing her entrepreneurial skills. Before her current position, she was the Business Development Manager at Gibraltar Stock Exchange, contributing to organizational growth. Callaghan earned her undergraduate degree in International Economics from The American University of Paris and a BA in Business Political Economy and Chinese from NYU Shanghai.
18. Sarah Lovelace
Company: Airbase
Title: Vice President of People
Sarah Lovelace serves as Vice President of People at Airbase. She joined Airbase in 2021, bringing a wealth of experience in fast-growing companies. Airbase is the only procure-to-pay solution to combine enterprise-grade power with a delightful user experience. It radically simplifies purchasing. Airbase offers solutions to tackle complex workflows and enjoy effortless company-wide adoption with easy-to-use and flexible intake, AP automation, expenses, and corporate cards.
Lovelace previously worked at Box as Head of Recruiting Operations. She is responsible for Strategy and Operations for all of Box Recruiting which includes managing the organization's budget, team and capacity planning, forecasting, strategy, and planning. Before joining Airbase, she worked with Plenty as VP of People. Lovelace graduated from UC Berkeley.
19. Lori Brigg
Company: Zesty
Title: Chief Revenue Officer
Lori Brigg is the Chief Revenue Officer of Zesty. The company allows engineering teams to effortlessly maximize cloud savings and minimize waste by automating cloud cost optimization. Its AI-driven platform automatically adjusts cloud resources in real-time based on the application needs, achieving optimal cloud usage and a dramatic reduction in cloud spend.
Brigg began her career in 2012. Before joining Zesty, she was a VP of Sales and Customer Success at DataRails and a VP of Global Customer Success at Feedvisor. Earlier in her career, she was a Product Specialists Team Lead at SuperDerivatives. Brigg earned her MBA and undergraduate degree in economics from Tel Aviv University.
20. Sarah Dekin
Company: Hometap
Title: President and Chief Operating Officer
Sarah Dekin is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Hometap where she oversees the company’s go-to-market and corporate strategies in addition to operations. Founded in 2017, Hometap is a Boston-based fintech company on a mission to make homeownership less stressful and more accessible. Starting with its industry-leading home equity investment product, the company has helped 8,000 homeowners across the US access their home equity without having to take out a loan or sell their home.
Previously, Dekin was the CMO at ZipCar and Virgin Money where she was responsible for the end-to-end customer experience. She began her career at Bain & Company and went on to become EVP of Marketing & Strategy at House of Blues Entertainment. Dekin sits on the BoD for Stone-Goff portfolio company FS Vector and previously for Danforth Advisors. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College and received her master’s degree in business from Harvard Business School.
21. Rachel Pike
Company: Modern Treasury
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Rachel Pike is the Chief Operating Officer of Modern Treasury, the operating system for the new era of payments, helping companies unlock growth, enhance customer experiences, and drive efficiency. Founded in 2018, San Francisco-based Modern Treasury serves leading companies across broad sectors of the economy like ClassPass, Gusto, Marqeta, Procore, Navan, and more.
Previously, Pike worked with Grand Rounds as a Director, Physician Engagement and Medical Networks where she led a team responsible for developing and executing the end-to-end physician and expert experience. She then became Pike’s Senior Director of Growth and was responsible for growing and engaging our user base across all online and offline channels. Pike earned a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate in chemistry from Northwestern University.
22. Louisa Murray
Company: Railsr
Title: Chief Sales Officer
Louisa Murray is the Chief Sales Officer at Railsr. Before taking on her role, Murray held multiple roles such as SVP, Global Head of Enterprise Customers and Channel Partners, COO for the UK and Europe, and VP and Head of Sales. She started as Head of BD. Railsr is the world-leading embedded finance experience platform. It helps brands put the customer experience at the heart of their business by using finance as a strategic engagement tool to deepen relationships, create increased brand relevance, and generate revenue.
A financial services pioneer, Murray was one of CIBC and Barclays Bank’s first female traders. Now a highly experienced payments, fintech, and digital asset specialist, she combines her keen eye for profitability with a commitment to nurturing and supporting the Railsr team through our rapid growth. Previously, Murray was a Head of Trading and Operations at PayrNet and a Director at Proprietary Trader and Playtown. She started her career in 1994 at Barclays Capital as Director.
23. Abigail (Pullman) Albright
Company: Brella Insurance
Title: Vice President, Product
Abigail (Pullman) Albright is the Vice President of Product at Brella Insurance. Founded in 2019, Brella is modernizing supplemental health benefits to build a world where health hardship doesn't mean financial hardship. The company’s simple supplemental plan covers 13,000+ conditions and pays cash on diagnosis that you can use for anything you need on the road to recovery.
Before joining Brella, Albright was a Product Evangelist and Information Security Director at Maxwell Health and a Market Specialist- Specializing in Private Exchanges at Digital Benefit Advisors. Earlier in her career, she worked with Chamber Preferred as an Account Executive. Albright graduated from the University of Vermont with an undergraduate degree in mathematics.
24. Erin Andrea
Company: TabaPay
Title: Vice President of Product
Erin Andrea began her professional 18 years ago. Today she is the Vice President of Product at TabaPay, the leading instant money movement platform, that enables secure, reliable, and lower-cost instant payments for Fintech innovators.
Andrea first got her start in 2002 as a Product Manager at The Bank of New York Mellon. From there, she went on to First Data Corporation as a Product Director, before eventually rising to Digital Payments Partnership Manager at Discover Financial Services, her most recent position before joining TabaPay. Andrea graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA and from the University of Houston-Clear Lake with an MBA. She earned her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Houston.
25. Alyssa Shane
Company: Verikai
Title: Vice President of Operations
Alyssa Shane is the Vice President of Operations at Verikai, a leading provider of predictive analytics and AI-powered solutions for the insurance industry. Through its innovative platform, Verikai empowers insurers with advanced data-driven risk assessment insights, streamlining the underwriting process and optimizing business outcomes. Shane joined the company in 2020 as a Director of Operations.
Before joining Verikai, Shane was a VP of Events and Director of Sponsorship at Disson Sports & Entertainment, and an Event and Sponsorship Manager at Comcast-Spectacor. Shane graduated from George Washington University with a master's in sports and event management and from Indiana University Bloomington with an undergraduate degree in journalism.
