The Financial Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of Asia for 2020. This year’s awardees represent an elite group at the forefront of one of the fastest growing industries in Asia. As consumers increasingly prefer digital over traditional banking, these leaders and their companies are uniquely positioned to improve users’ access to their assets in a financially underserved market. With specialties across peer-to-peer lending, payments, wealth management, crypto trading, e-commerce, and other areas, these companies offer products and services that cover all aspects of an individual’s finances.
Following a thorough review of hundreds of nominations, these women leaders were selected for their industry expertise, keen awareness of consumer needs, and ability to form strategic partnerships. Their impressive backgrounds have produced a wealth of knowledge that has allowed them to guide their teams through the development of some of the most ubiquitous financial platforms in Asia and beyond. Please join us in celebrating the achievements of this year’s Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of Asia for 2020.
1. Jessica Tan
Company: Ping An Group
Location: Shenzhen, China
Jessica Tan is the Co-Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, and Executive Vice President of Ping An Group, a leading Chinese insurance company with over 500 million online users and 1.4 million insurance agents at its disposal. Tan has been integral in driving Ping An’s technological focus and oversees the company’s technology ventures. Tan is also a key participant in other financial groups and initiatives, including membership with the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Securities and Futures Commission. A celebrated leader in business, she was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2019, was ranked 2nd in the international category of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in 2020, and made the Forbes Power Women 2020 list.
Prior to her tenure with Ping An Group, Tan was a partner with McKinsey & Company, specializing in financial services and business technology. Over 12 years at McKinsey, she cooperated with leading financial and technology institutions across 10 countries with a focus on strategy, organization, operation, and information technology. She also helped in establishing a new campus in China. After joining Ping An Group in 2013 as the chief information officer, she served in a number of leadership roles before her current position. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with two Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and economics, as well as a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science.
2. Paroma Chatterjee
Company: Lendingkart
Location: Bangalore, India
Paroma Chatterjee is the Chief Business Officer at Lendingkart, a role she has held for two years. Lendingkart Group aims to make working capital finance easily available for entrepreneurs so that they can focus on business rather than stumble on the gaps in their cash-flow. As a fintech start-up in the working capital sector, Lendingkart aims to transform small business lending across India to support business growth. A passionate business leader, Chatterjee brings to Lendkingkart an entrepreneurial mindset that has allowed her to financially empower the fast-growing MSME community in India through Lendingkart’s services.
Prior to her role at Lendingkart, Chatterjee was the chief business officer of Via.com, Asia's biggest B2B2C online travel company, where she led the business across 11 countries. She preceded this with stints as the director of marketplace business at Flipkart, and as a general manager and marketing head for Bharti Airtel Ltd, where she was also a founding member of Airtel Money. A veteran in the banking industry, she also held the roles of associate vice president at Kotak Mahindra Bank and senior manager at ICICI Bank. Chatterjee received a Bachelor of Science degree with honours in physics from St. Xavier’s College and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
3. Cerulean Hu
Company: Crypto.com
Location: Sai Wan, Hong Kong
Cerulean Hu is the Senior Vice President of Blockchain Engineering at Crypto.com. Crypto.com was founded in 2016 on the simple belief that it is a basic human right for everyone to control their money, data, and identity. Crypto.com serves over 5 million customers today, providing them with a powerful alternative to traditional financial services through the Crypto.com App, the Crypto.com Visa Card, the Crypto.com Exchange, and the Crypto.com DeFi Wallet. An experienced senior software engineer, Hu brings to the company a demonstrated history of leadership in the blockchain and financial services industries. She ascended to her current role after serving as the company’s lead blockchain engineer.
Before joining Crypto.com, Hu was a senior software engineer for Equichain and FINCOVA. She was also previously a software engineer and a team lead in finance and trading systems at ANX International and started her career as a developer in algorithmic trading at HSBC. Through these roles, Hu has cultivated a deep knowledge of blockchain, smart contracts, exchange match engines, cryptocurrency mining, equities, and algorithmic trading. Hu received her Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Hong Kong.
4. Wu Xing
Company: Huobi Global
Location: Seychelles
Wu Xing is the Senior Director and Lead Coordinator of Global Business at Huobi Group, the leading blockchain financial service provider. With a mission to make investing in alternative assets more efficient and adaptable, Huobi is one of the world’s largest digital asset exchanges with an accumulated trading volume of $1 trillion. Established in 2013, the company now serves more than 5 million users in over 130 countries globally. In her role with Huobi Group, Xing is known among colleagues for her experience in all aspects of blockchain technology, and she also currently serves as the Senior Director of Huobi Pro, a blockchain incubator.
Xing started at Huobi Global over six years ago first as PR manager before becoming the head of marketing just prior to her current role, where she is a frequent representative for the company. She joined Huobi following a tenure at WenX, a digital assets trading platform allowing users to trade bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Xing received her Bachelor of Laws degree from the Minzu University of China.
5. Aditi Sholapurkar
Company: Nium
Location: Raffles Quay, Singapore
Aditi Sholapurkar is the Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at Nium, a role she has held for just shy of two years. Nium is a global fintech infrastructure platform that is redefining the way consumers and businesses send, spend and receive funds across borders by acting as a universal plug for financial services. The company devises agile, elegant and modular solutions for complex business problems. Aditi brings to her role significant experience in core fintech, investment banking, deal execution, and financial planning and analysis. She currently leads Nium’s global growth strategy and market expansion along with fundraising and M&A. She and her team focus on deals and business partnerships, establishing a reputation as a trusted partner for both internal and external stakeholders.
Before joining Nium, Sholapurkar gained almost 10 years of experience in the banking industry. Her most recent role was with Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong as part of the Principal Strategic Investments desk, specializing in payments, wealth tech, and alternative lending. Before moving to Hong Kong, Sholapurkar was integral in setting up Paytm’s Payment Bank in India. She also spent time with Citi Bank and BAML where she was able to hone her FX and Equities experience. Sholapurkar received her Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
6. Nur Fazlim
Company: Axiata Digital
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nur Fazlim is the Head of Compliance at Axiata Digital. Axiata Digital is Asia’s fastest growing telecommunications company that aims to promote inclusivity for communities through the provision of digital and connectivity solutions. Today, Axiata Digital has a footprint of 11 countries in ASEAN and South Asia. Fazlim brings to Axiata Digital over 20 years of experience, including 13 years of expertise in quantity surveying and project management, as well as 11 years of expertise in compliance programs for the money services and payments systems sectors. At Axiata, she contributes her experience combined with large scale project management to move the company toward its goals.
Prior to Axiata, Fazlim was the head of compliance for MoneyMatch, a role she held for almost two years. She preceded this with two years at UAE Exchange as the associate manager for compliance, and head of compliance. She has also been the head of compliance for Max Money and Alaf Jutawan and has held various roles at Eastern Union, Rayhar Travel, World Currency, and DPMM Pahang Corporation. Fazlim received her Master of Science degree in property investment and finance, as well as her Bachelor of Science degree in quantity surveying at the Universiti Teknologi MARA.
7. Sujinun Jutakorn
Company: Xendit
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Sujinun Jutakorn is the Vice President of Sales at Xendit. Xendit is the Indonesian fintech company known for facilitating the acceptance of payments and sending money for businesses with speed and excellent customer service. Founded in 2014, today the company provides payment infrastructures across the region that run marketplaces, disburse payroll and loans, and detect fraud. Xendit also offers a whole suite of world-class APIs and an easy-to-use dashboard UI. Jutakorn has been with Xendit for one year, starting first as the head of sales before being promoted to her current role, where she has continued to expand her interests in the e-commerce and payments industries.
Jutakorn started her career at PayPal in various management roles from customer service, to account management and enterprise account management. After leaving PayPal for five years to serve as the strategic account leader for CyberSource, she returned to the company as the head of sales for Thailand and Vietnam, and the head of channel partners for Southeast Asia. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and international trade from Thammasat University and her Master of Business Administration degree in general management from Peking University.
8. Rachel Sugeha
Company: Koinworks
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Rachel Sugeha is the Vice President of Growth at Koinworks, ascending to her leadership role after only a year with the company. Koinworks is Indonesia’s first peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform connecting lenders with loan borrowers, with a focus on small to medium enterprises. It is considered a leading financial app that provides both investment and liabilities products in one accessible user platform. While P2P lending is relatively new to Indonesia, Koinworks intends to further scale the platform over the next few years. With experience in customer relationship management and customer loyalty, Sugeha first joined Koinworks as the head of portfolio management before her promotion to her current role.
Before Koinworks, Sugeha was the campaign manager for Digiasia Bios, where she was integral in developing a campaign and loyalty system, managing acquisition and retention, and defining the customer journey. She was also the customer loyalty manager at PT Smartfren Telecom and the customer relationship management assistant manager at FIFGROUP for over three years. Destined for leadership from the outset, she started her career as a management trainee at PT Ultra Prima Abadi following her undergraduate education. Sugeha received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in industrial engineering from Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta.
9. Lisa Kienzle
Company: Coins.ph
Location: Manila, Philippines
Lisa Kienzle is the Head of International Growth at Coins.ph. Founded in 2014 in the Philippines, Coins.ph is a Southeast Asian fintech company that enables anyone, including those without a bank account, to easily access financial services directly from their mobile phone, including local and international remittances. Today, Coins.ph serves more than 10 million customers and is one of the first blockchain-backed platforms to reach significant mainstream consumer adoption. The company is also
the first Asian blockchain-based company to hold both Virtual Currency and Electronic Money Issuer licenses from a central bank.
In her most recent role before Coins.ph, Kienzle spent six years at Grameen in roles of increasing responsibility, including the global director of financial services, the co-country director and mobile financial services program director, and operations and strategy manager. Prior to that, she was the director of branchless banking at Map International and a Consultant at Marakon. She has also worked as an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers. An active member in the community, Lisa has volunteered as a consultant for the fellows program at TechnoServe and has sat as a board member for Musoni and Juhudi Kilimo. Kienzle is a certified expert in microfinance educated at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Pennsylvania State University and her Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
10. Chirutha Dalal
Company: Pay1
Location: Mumbai, India
Chirutha Dalal is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Pay1. Pay1 is a technology company whose offerings solve critical issues faced by retailers in India. Today, Pay1 has more than 50,000 active retailers on the market who are using its services to further their success. The company boasts a 300+ strong merchant base and combines retail, finance, and consumer technology to create an integrated business ecosystem that is unique to the Indian markets. With over a decade of experience, Dalal currently heads operations at Pay1, overseeing product development, strategy, conceptualization, and idea execution for the retail tech platform. She has been with the company for 10 years and is constantly striving to better her skills through knowledge and experience.
Prior to joining Pay1, Dalal was a senior product manager at Larch Tech Services for five years, where she directed multi-disciplined engagement teams comprised of business analysts, graphic designers, and interaction designers to deliver effective user-centric designs. She was also the content developer and UI designer for CCG India and was a web designer for Byzan System. Dalal has received multiple recognitions for her expertise in the field, including receiving the 2017 Women Achievers Award from the Global Workforce Management Network and the Women in Fintech Award from Fintegrate Zone. Dalal received her Bachelor of Science degree in computer applications from Indira Gandhi National Open University and is a Certified Usability Analyst.
11. Simi Manocha
Company: Scripbox
Location: Bangalore, India
Simi Manocha is the Senior Manager of Human Resources at Scripbox. Founded in 2012, Scripbox is India’s leading digital wealth management service. Today, Scripbox is known as a pioneer in the digital financial services space and is recognized for creating simple and elegant user experiences in a complex domain. Manocha has been with Scripbox for 3 years and brings with her over 8 years of experience in managing the full spectrum of human resources programs including leadership hiring and employee life cycle. At Scripbox, she leads recruitment efforts in both tech and non-tech roles across mid and senior level positions, develops and deploys talent management programs to build a high performing culture, and designs people practices that makes Scripbox a preferred employer in a highly competitive labour market. She has also set up a robust HR structure in alignment with organizational goals and designed a comprehensive year-long Employee Engagement Program.
Prior to Scripbox, Manocha was the HR Manager, business partner, and leadership talent scout for Snapdeal, one of India’s leading e-commerce companies. She held this role for 3.5 years, providing HR business support to a team of over 200 during her tenure. Manocha started her career as a management trainee at Axis Bank. She received her Master of Business Administration degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
12. Lulu Hoza
Company: Midtrans
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Lulu Hoza is the Vice President and Head of Partner Engagement at Midtrans. Established in 2012, Midtrans (formerly Veritrans) is a fintech company whose goal is to provide online businesses in Indonesia with a payment infrastructure that is safe, reliable, and fraud-free. Today, the company works with many reputable banking institutions and payment channels to facilitate transactions and enable growth via its chat commerce service. Hoza brings to her role over seven years of experience in sales and partnerships spanning client onboarding in the shipping industry and merchant acquisition in e-commerce. She started her time at Midtrans as the merchant sales officer before becoming head of sales.
Before Midtrans, Hoza was a business marketing staff member for PT. Evergreen Shipping Agency in Indonesia for over two years. While pursuing her undergraduate education, she was also a research assistant in the department of food science. Now with Midtrans, she and her team aim to provide personalized payment solutions to start-ups and online retailers throughout Indonesia. Hoza received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a diploma in applied sciences from Taylor’s University.
13. Sayali Karanjkar
Company: PaySense
Location: Mumbai, India
Sayali Karanjkar is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at PaySense. Founded in 2015, PaySense is a venture-backed, financial services start-up boasting a team of highly diverse, like-minded people solving the fundamental issue of access to simple, convenient, and transparent credit in India. PaySense strives to make all things finance more accessible. In her role, Karanjkar utilizes her extensive experience in management consulting, new product development, strategic advisory, M&A growth strategy, business development, international business, marketing strategy, value chain integration, program management, and organization transformation roles.
A serial entrepreneur, Karanjkar also co-founded Outsy, a local discovery platform, prior to PaySense. She has also been the director of business and consulting for FinalMile Consulting. She preceded this with various roles at A.T. Kearny, Ogilvy & Mather, and Sapient Consulting, and was a project manager for both A&T and SBC Communications. Karanjkar received her Master of Business Administration degree in strategy and international business marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She also received a Bachelor of Computing degree from the National University of Singapore.
14. Pushpinder Kaur
Company: CASHe
Location: Mumbai, India
Pushpinder Kaur is the Head of Operations at CASHe, the fintech product from TSLC Pte. ltd. Aimed at millennials in a smart, digital world, CASHe offers its users quick and easy personal loans through systems and services that are transparent, innovative, and responsive to consumer demand. Using sophisticated algorithms and machine learning capabilities, CASHe delivers an improved lending experience to consumers in order to help young professionals to achieve their financial goals with ease. In her three years at CASHe, Kaur has lent her extensive expertise in business development, sales and marketing, branding, process management, and team management and development.
Before joining CASHe, Kaur gained a decade of experience in finance across various roles steadily ascending the leadership ladder. In her most recent role, Kaur was the credit manager for PLDigital at Tata Capital for two years, joining the company after a stint as the sales manager for India Infoline Group. She also spent almost two years as the deputy credit manager at Capital First Limited and cut her teeth as the executive trainee at Standard Chartered Bank. Kaur received her Master of Business Administration degree in international business from the Institute of Technology and Management.
15. Yuki House
Company: Paidy
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Yuki House is the Vice President of Experience at Paidy. With a mission to reduce frustration and embrace simplicity, Paidy offers instant, monthly-consolidated credit to consumers throughout Japan. Paidy innovated Japan’s first Buy Now Pay Later service for e-commerce consumers. The company uses proprietary models and machine learning to underwrite transactions in seconds and guarantee payments to merchants. House first joined Paidy as the finance product manager before becoming the head of experience. Now in her current role, House is recognized by her team for her attention to detail, eye for design, and clear direction.
Prior to Paidy, House was the innovation lab director at KPMG. She was also in charge of user experience at Deloitte Digital and was the director of user experience and design at Glassdoor. She has also been a manager of user experience at StubHub, director of design at BlogHer, and a creative lead for Walmart Global e-commerce. House received a Bachelor of Science degree in graphic design from San Jose State University.
16. Riya Bhattacharya
Company: Navi Technologies
Location: Bangalore, India
Riya Bhattacharya is the Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at Navi Technologies, a Bangalore-based fintech company helping build consumer-centric businesses in the banking, financial services, and insurance spaces. Founded in 2018, the company has already experienced substantial growth, raising $582 million in funding to date. As the Head of Strategy at Navi, Bhattacharya leads all strategic decisions, including onboarding several companies overseeing functions such as general insurance, lending, and broking. She currently also sits on the board of directors for Innovative Foods.
Before joining Navi Technologies, Bhattacharya was the investment manager at Peepul Capital for just shy of six years. An experienced financial professional, she was also an associate at Credit Suisse for almost four years and a senior analyst at Merrill Lynch. Bhattacharya received her Bachelor of Technology degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and her Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
17. Sylvia Koh
Company: Thunes
Location: Central Region, Singapore
Sylvia Koh is the Senior Vice President of Thunes, the fintech providing cross-border networks interconnecting diverse payment systems and delivering smarter payments solutions for emerging economies. Today, the B2B platform provides seamless transfers of funds between payment systems in more than 100 countries and 60 currencies. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Shanghai, London, and New York. Koh has been with the company for almost six years starting as an account manager before becoming the business development director and vice president of APAC. She brings to Thunes experience in payments and mobile technology that enable partners to overcome challenges in cross-border payments.
Before joining Thunes, Koh was a client manager at Syniverse for three years, where she provided advice and analyses related to company products. She preceded this with a stint as the international roaming executive at M1 Limited, where she supported the establishment and management of roaming partnerships with overseas carriers. Koh earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the National University of Singapore.
18. Qing Wang
Company: PINTEC
Location: Beijing, China
Qing Wang is the Vice President of PINTEC, an intelligent financial services technology platform that uses big data and digital technologies to provide effective financial solutions for businesses and financial institutions. PINTEC drives new financial product opportunities by expanding access to financial services for consumers, mitigating risk by decreasing human interference, and breaking down historical financial market barriers. Wang has been with the company for two and a half years, seeing the company through its capital raise of $103 million.
Previously, Wang was the funding director for the North China Region of Home Credit China for over two years, leading the Beijing team to maintain financial institution funding sources and arrange new transactions. She joined Home Credit China after a tenure as a manager at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for six years. Prior to that, she was the CFO assistant to China Housing & Land Development, Inc. Her first job after graduating was as an associate at Grant Thornton. Wang received a Master of Science degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
19. Karen Letran
Company: PayTabs
Location: Dubai, UAE
Karen Letran is the Head of Customer Success at PayTabs, a company that provides comprehensive payment solutions for SMEs and enterprises in multiple markets, including online and offline e-commerce, m-commerce, and social commerce solutions for merchants and retailers operating in MENA and Asia. Today, PayTabs safely and securely processes transactions in 168 countries while facilitating seamless integration for merchants across 49 industries. Letran has been with the company for almost three years, first coming on board as the enterprise account manager. She has focused on perfecting customer experience for ten years and has developed expertise in business planning, business management, coaching, and team management.
An entrepreneur as well, Letran is the founder and operator of Pinoy Delicious Restaurant and La Lea Couture, which she still runs today. Running these businesses provides her with unique insight that further informs her role with PayTabs in providing payment solutions for SMEs. Her former roles also include being a business development manager at Procco Financial Services for eight years and a collection and credit controller for Osama Al Thawadi Group for just shy of three years. Letran received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts at Bicol University and attended the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance.
20. Elizabeth Duke
Company: Active.ai
Location: Central Region, Singapore
Elizabeth Duke is the Senior Vice President of Client Development at Active.ai. A Singapore-based fintech start-up, Active.ai, through artificial intelligence, delivers conversational banking services to help banks and financial institutions redefine their future digital strategy. Since its founding in 2016, the company has been working with top tier banks and insurance companies across India, Malaysia, and Singapore and will also be launching throughout Mexico and the U.S. As SVP of Client Development, Duke has defined and implemented the company’s marketing strategy while partnering with new and existing clients.
Prior to her current role, Duke was vice president of business development at Carta Worldwide. She has also been the senior business leader of mobile transactions solutions for Mastercard Worldwide, where she drove new business opportunities and grew existing partnerships. Duke earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Ontario.
21. Gratiano Yeung
Company: Roojai.com
Location: Chon Buri, Thailand
Gratiano Yeung is the Chief Customer Officer at Roojai.com, a position she has held for a little over a year. Roojai.com is a leading car insurance service created specifically for drivers in Thailand and operates as a licensed broker regulated by OIC. The company has partnered with Krungthai Panic Insurance of the Krungthai Bank to facilitate its best insurance product for consumers. Yeung started at the company five years ago as the head of contact center before landing in the c-suite only a few years later. Her extensive experience in contact center and sales and service operations have proved to be a significant asset to the growing company, and under her guidance, Roojai has been recognized for its innovative and seamless customer experience.
Before joining Roojai.com, Yeung was the head of group customer care for DirectAsia.com. She accepted this role after a seven-year stint as the head of service in Asia Pacific for CPP Group. She is a multi-award-winning professional, winning many contact center awards for innovation, social media, professional management, and more. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the City University of Hong Kong and has a Customer Satisfaction Certification from SGS.
22. Jessica Ao
Company: Geoswift
Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong
Jessica Ao is the Chief Partnerships Officer at Geoswift, an innovative payments company at the frontier of connecting payments in and out of China. Geoswift employs the world’s leading payment technology experts, who have a deep understanding of the industry, technology, monetary policy, and the global regulatory landscape in China and beyond. Since its inception, Geoswift has been known for providing clients with customized one-stop cross-border payments solutions to and from China. Today, Geoswift is relied upon by the world’s leading e-commerce companies, prestigious educational institutions, and the largest brands in travel. Geoswift is headquartered in Hong Kong with teams spread across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, London, Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco.
Ao brings to Geoswift over 15 years of financial and treasury management experience in the financial technology and payments sector. Prior to Geoswift, she held senior roles at Paystone Technologies Corp., gaining extensive experience in financial and corporate development. Now with Geoswift, her leadership strengths and expert management skills support the team in developing new markets and partnerships.
23. Rong Lin
Company: Matrixport
Location: Beijing, China
Rong Lin is the Vice President and Founding Partner of Matrixport. The company was founded in 2019 and has already become the gateway to a digital economy where customers can trade, entrust, invest, and borrow crypto assets all in one place. Matrixport aims to create a next-generation digital financial services platform, offering loans without trading crypto, bridging money between the digital and traditional economy so that money can travel without borders. The company’s vision is to facilitate a more open and equal financial system for the world using blockchain technologies. Lin brings with her over a decade of experience in finance and digital banking, and now in her current role, she and her team hope to bring together centralized finance and DeFi.
Prior to joining Matrixprt, Lin was the head of the blockchain business department at Bitmain and a senior manager at Alipay, where she worked on blockchain for cross-border payment. No stranger to the banking sector, she was also a vice president at Deutsche Bank for just shy of five years and has been an analyst at Barclays Capital and JP Morgan Chase. Lin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Peking University and a Master of Science degree in financial engineering from the National University of Singapore.
24. Shiori Onishi
Company: CrowdCredit
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Shiori Onishi is the Chief Investment Officer at CrowdCredit. Launched in 2014, CrowdCredit provides investment crowdfunding for countries with high growth potential. The company serves a variety of business types, including P2P lending platforms, non-bank financial institutions, microfinance institutions, and renewable energy businesses through its online crowdfunding platform in Japan. In 2016, the company began raising funds to expand its services beyond Japan and has raised almost $20 million to date. In her role as CrowdCredit’s Chief Investment Officer, Onishi has guided the company as it continues to scale and brings extensive experience in financing, SME, microfinance, rural finance, and infrastructure.
Before CrowdCredit, Onishi worked at Mitsui and Co., Ltd. a Japanese trading house. She also worked at the World Bank across India and Afghanistan and at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). With her global education and career experience, Onishi has established in-depth, first-hand knowledge of financial inclusion, impact investment, and infrastructure and renewable energy finance in emerging markets. She received her master’s degree at the University of Manchester.
25. Caylee Talpert
Company: N-Frnds
Location: Central Region, Singapore
Caylee Talpert is the Vice President of Business Development at N-Frnds, a global technology company with a unique model for reaching and serving last-mile retailers in emerging markets. The company’s innovative technology is protected by 21 patents and its adaptable platform is swiftly deployable and can be accessed from any device. Talpert is responsible for designing solutions and managing relationships with N-Frnds global partners in Africa and Asia, in the fields of financial inclusion/branchless banking, mobile agriculture, and e-government services, ensuring that all users can access the full benefits of the digital world.
Prior to N-Frnds, Talpert was the deputy director of the Pears Program for Global Innovation, where she worked with a diverse range of entrepreneurs focusing on emerging markets. She preceded this with a stint as an analyst for Lavi Capital and also spent time in London and Sri Lanka as a postgraduate consultant for IBM. She was formerly the Goldman Fellow at AJC’s Africa Institute and National Chairperson of South African Union of Jewish Students for two years. Now with N-Frnds, she is helping to further increase the company’s rapidly growing user base of over 15 million end-users. Talpert received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Science degree in development management from the London School of Economics and Politics.
