FinTech Wales, the independent member association and champion of FinTech and the Financial Services industry in Wales, has appointed Gemma Hallett as Head of Skills.
Gemma has over 16 years of experience as an education leader, teacher, coach, entrepreneur and business mentor, and has also had a successful rugby career representing Wales at the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. In addition to a 15-year career in the sport, Gemma became a teacher at Coleg y Cymoedd and a lecturer at the University of South Wales.
She is also the founder of miFuture, an edtech solution that unlocks and promotes future career opportunities in shape every single day, to encourage Gen Z and schoolchildren towards Wales’ emerging, growth and priority sectors.
Gemma has joined the team at FinTech Wales to lead their skills strategy to raise awareness of FinTech career opportunities, and to develop, upgrade and retain the skills required in Wales to support the FinTech ecosystem and its rapid growth.
Working closely with FinTech Wales’ members, Gemma and Deloitte’s David Rozier chair FinTech Wales’ Skills Advisory Panel, which comprises a group of entrepreneurs, representatives from small, medium and large businesses as well as universities, schools and the public sector. . Professionals from Deloitte, Credas, Confused.com, Capital Law, Admiral, Principality, Hodge, Yoello, Delio, Sonovate, Wagonex, Coincover, Currency Cloud, Cardiff Council, Cardiff and Swansea Universities and more, meet every other month to discuss skills and initiatives required to support the FinTech sector in Wales, which then continuously develops, shapes and contributes to the FinTech Wales’ Skills Agenda.
Gemma has already been integrated into introducing a range of initiatives to raise awareness and develop skills for Wales’ FinTech ecosystem. In partnership with Cardiff and Vale College, other training providers and FinTech Wales members, FinTech Wales has introduced a new 10-week code program, which helps people of all career backgrounds and ages to become front and backend developers. She was also influential in Wales’ first Debate Mate Cup Champion competition, where a number of schools took part in professional debates on FinTech issues, raising awareness of career opportunities in the sector.
Gemma said: “FinTech Wales has already made great strides in raising its profile across the UK and globally, and we have a real opportunity to establish Wales as a leading player on the global FinTech scene. My job now is to ensure that we build the right foundation in Wales so that we can attract, develop, upgrade and retain great talent.
“It is no secret that we have a critical lack of competence. The number of job opportunities far outweighs the available skills, but I know we can make a difference and gradually close that gap. There is no quick fix, but there are many opportunities for us to engage and shape a future talent pool and make a big impact in the long run.
FinTech Wales was launched in April 2019 to give an independent voice to the FinTech industry, both in and outside Wales, to champion and maximize the potential of all businesses in this sector.
In addition to nurturing and supporting the businesses already in Wales, it aims to develop an ecosystem that will encourage and attract new FinTech companies to start up or scale up in our region. Ultimately, the goal is to make Wales a leading pillar of the global FinTech community.
Sarah Williams-Gardener, CEO of FinTech Wales, said: “From the first time I met Gemma, her passion for developing talent was evident. Her persistent energy and leadership have enabled us to deliver on our ambitions to raise awareness of and develop talent for the booming Welsh Fintech sector.
“To achieve our mission and see Wales recognized globally for their FinTech excellence, we must have a strong pipeline of skills and talent in place. This is an important requirement when it comes to attracting more FinTechs to scale their teams in Wales.
‘I’m happy to have Gemma on board. We share the same passion and willingness to provide Welsh communities with high-value employment opportunities, while supporting the innovative world-leading FinTechs we have here in Wales. Our members and partners are already seeing the benefits of our early initiatives, and with Gemma on board, there is much more to come. “Sarah added.
Earlier this year, the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) announced a £ 1.6m five-year investment in FinTech Wales, which will be spread over a five-year partnership between CCR and FinTech Wales, and will see the two organizations work closely together to deliver on CCR’s commitment to establish Wales as a leading FinTech sector in the UK.
