FinTech Awards Wales – Exclusive Interview: Deloitte

Matt Hyde, Director of FinTech Awards Wales meets:

David Rozier,

Partner in Deloitte

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As part of our new interview series, Matt Hyde, Director of Recruit 121 and FinTech Awards Wales, talks to a whole host of professionals in and around Wales’ booming FinTech sector. This week, Matt caught up with David Rozier at Deloitte.

Tell us about your main focus at Deloitte

Deloitte has a strong commitment to Wales with our Welsh offices being the largest in the UK outside of London. With almost 1,500 staff based in our offices in Cardiff and Swansea, we support the Welsh economy, working with Welsh businesses to enable growth and create a significant number of opportunities for Welsh people both in the local economy and within business. Deloitte in Wales has continued to grow significantly year on year and as a firm we are very proud of the opportunities we create and the Welsh clients we serve.

My main focus is being an audit partner and my work in the FinTech sector.

What impact do you feel the FinTech Awards Wales are making in the FinTech sector in Wales?

It really provides the opportunity for FinTech to have a platform on the Welsh and global stage. It is such an exciting sector at the moment with huge growth opportunities, so it is important to recognize the contributions that FinTech companies are making in Wales, and the FinTech Awards support such recognition. The potential for FinTech is huge and this sector is receiving a lot of focus and investment from the Welsh Government.

Why have you chosen to support the awards and especially the award for the year’s best growth story?

The FinTech Awards Wales will recognize the achievements of the thriving FinTech sector across the country, bringing Wales’ leading innovators and digital experts together for an evening of celebration. Deloitte sponsored an award category last year, so we had first-hand experience of the positive impact the awards and event had on the Welsh FinTech ecosystem, so it was an easy decision to continue our support again this year. All award categories have their own unique value, and the award for “Best Growth Story of the Year” is great to sponsor. The category nominations this year are of the highest order – it has been inspiring to hear stories from each of this year’s nominees and it exemplifies the high quality people and businesses we have in Wales.

How do you feel the Welsh economy has fared post-Covid and what predictions do you have for the next 12 months?

We have seen the FinTech sector in Wales continue to thrive post-lockdown, highlighting the great business ideas and quality of talent we have here. This is in part due to our established financial services, the supply of high-quality talent from our world-class universities and colleges, and the determination and drive of our Welsh entrepreneurs.

The technology market is experiencing a number of challenges at the moment which have seen a reduction in investment from Private Equity and Venture Capital investors. So the challenges we can foresee will be related to companies in an earlier phase being able to obtain financing and accelerate expansion. FinTech Wales and the FinTech Wales Foundry are doing an excellent job of helping to mitigate this risk – Season 3 of the Foundry is about to launch and Deloitte is supporting this to bring investors to Wales.

What is Deloitte doing today to support FinTech in the future?

FinTech is an emerging and important sector for Wales and Deloitte is committed to supporting it. The firm has a professional FinTech services practice that draws on expertise across all service lines to advise Fintech businesses. We have tax, finance, legal and consulting experts focused on this sector, working with many different sizes providing advice from an early stage. Deloitte also has a FinTech audit center based in Cardiff – we are recruiting heavily into this team because we see great potential in this sector.

FinTech is a sector I’m passionate about – I lead the dedicated FinTech audit practice in the UK and I’m a member of the UK FinTech Executive. I am also a member of the FinTech Wales Advisory Panel, looking specifically at the skills agenda – new talent and connected talent in Wales. I have been involved in setting up a coding academy in partnership with Cardiff and Vale University and other financial services employers. We’ve teamed up to create unique, fast-track training programs designed to meet the growing need for skilled people to fill FinTech vacancies. Another initiative I have been involved in is FinTech for Schools working with Innovate Finance. Together, we have launched an initiative that aims to drive financial inclusion, improve financial literacy and inspire young people to explore career opportunities within FinTech. This was trialled with 100 students at Cardiff College and our ambition is to roll this out across all schools and colleges in Wales.

Finally, what is the best advice you have received and what advice would you give?

About three years ago I made some changes in my life. I decided to find my purpose. Discovering your purpose at work is important because it means you can enjoy work much more. I am now giving a training session to Deloitte colleagues on finding your purpose in the workplace. I also think you have to be true to yourself at work.