Top 10 female leaders who inspire change in fintech
We hear so much about the gender gap in financial services – and rightly so, given the glaring difference between men and women in senior leadership roles. But occasionally we prefer to strike a positive chord and shine a spotlight on the inspiring women who are pioneering change and driving success within their respective industries.
That’s exactly what we’ve done with the FinTech Top 100 Women supplement, published by FinTech Magazine this week. Here, we’ve taken the top 10 leaders from that list to give you an abbreviated version – but if you want to check out the whole thing, it’s available now.
Co-founder of Nubank
One of the most successful female fintech entrepreneurs in Latin America, Cristina Junqueira is the co-founder of Nubank – the largest neobank in the world. Junqueira studied industrial engineering at the Universidade de São Paulo, and after graduating, got a position as an assistant consultant at the Boston Consulting Group working towards a master’s degree in economic and financial modeling. Soon after, in 2007, she enrolled at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois, where she graduated with an MBA.
Junqueira returned to Brazil after obtaining his MBA, and worked as the SME sector manager at Unibanco, the largest private banking organization in the nation. The position of portfolio manager was made available to Junqueira when Unibanco merged with Ita, Brazil’s second largest private banking firm, the following year. Armed with a thorough understanding of the country’s financial sector and a concept of what she wanted to change, she left her position at Brazilian banking giant Ita after five years there.
She co-founded Nubank with David Vélez and Edward Wible in 2013, and the company went public in an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021.
COO Data & Analytics at Citi
Sarah works for Citi as their Singapore-based COO for Data and Analytics, APAC and EMEA. For six years, she served first as Global Head of Data Center Services and then as Head of Group Technology Infrastructure for Deutsche Bank, where she helped execute the technology strategy and transformation roadmap. Her responsibilities span strategy, analysis and planning, financial management, people, risk and control, supplier management/procurement and program implementation. Between 2010 and 2017, Garvey served as Head of Technology for Corporate Affairs & Brand Marketing and Experience at Standard Chartered in Singapore, having previously been Head of Product Engineering, User Experience and Employee Experience.
Global Chief Information Officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co
Lori Beer is JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global chief information officer (CIO) and a member of the operating committee. She is responsible for the company’s global IT infrastructure and systems, overseeing a $14 billion budget and the more than 55,000 technicians who work for JPMorgan Chase’s asset and wealth management, retail and wholesale operations. Øl has been recognized as one of Barron’s Most Powerful Women in American Finance, American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking, and is a recipient of the Women’s Bond Club’s Merit Award.
Chief Operating Officer at HSBC MENA
The Chief Operating Officer for HSBC’s Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and Turkey regions is Ghinwa Baradhi, who is responsible for the bank’s regional technology function. In this role, she concentrates on improving business value and customer experience by combining IT strategy with business efficiency and simplification. Since joining HSBC in 2006 as the region’s head of IT operations and quality, Baradhi has spent 13 years in a variety of positions at the company, including managing the operational efficiency of global banking services and markets, as well as overseeing IT operations and software delivery. With 25 years of expertise in banking technology and operations, she is a successful senior executive who, prior to joining HSBC, worked for Emirates NBD Bank in senior positions across the areas of business intelligence, CRM, data warehousing and wholesale.
SVP, CIO Global Commercial Services at American Express
Allegra Driscoll is currently SVP, Unit CIO Global Commercial Services at American Express. Prior to joining the company in 2020, Driscoll worked on the business side at Credit Suisse, responsible for designing and optimizing the investment bank’s customer service functions and related technology. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Allegra spent nearly 10 years at Goldman Sachs in a variety of roles, including Vice President of the Securities Division Sales Management team; Associate on the Futures, Clearing & Execution Franchise Management Team; and a developer in the risk technology team.
Corporation CIO at Banco Santander
Isabel Jimeno Fernandez, a distinguished and creative leader in her field, has served as CIO of the Spanish financial company Banco Santander for nine years. Before joining Santander, she worked for almost 10 years at Produban, the technology arm of Grupo Santander, which focuses on the ongoing design and management of IT infrastructure. Jimeno Fernandez has developed a reputation in the market as a dynamic decision maker and skilled negotiator with skills that are not limited to the banking industry. She has a background in management and customer service, Java, PHP and disaster recovery; and has a Master of Sciences from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Head of architecture and transformation, data and analysis at UBS
With 14 years of expertise in data, advanced analytics and IT delivery and management, Sweatha Donkada is both a technical and people leader. She also serves as a trusted advisor to executive management on technical strategy and has received the Distinguished Engineer award in recognition of her leadership in developing engineering techniques and culture. She has been with UBS for just over 13 years now, starting as a Trading Desk Developer and progressing to her current role as Managing Director – Head of Architecture & Transformation, Data & Analytics. She worked as a trading analyst at Barclays Capital before joining UBS and holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai.
Information manager at BNP Paribas
From BNP Paribas as a Junior Business Analyst in 2001, Aneta Kolankowska worked her way up through the organization before leaving in 2018 after 17 years in the business, having held senior roles as Head of Project Management and IT for BNP Paribas in Poland. She then joined Credit Suisse leading their project delivery and systems integration, before returning to BNP Paribas in October 2022 to take up the role of Chief Information Officer. She has a Master of Science Engineering in Management and Marketing from AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków.
Chief Data Officer at Mastercard
Executive Director and Chief Data Officer at Mastercard, JoAnn Stonier, is responsible for the company’s enterprise-wide data strategy and management, with the aim of ensuring that the company gets the most out of its information resources. She previously served as the organization’s EVP Chief Information Governance & Privacy Officer, leading regulatory interaction in this area and leading the company’s global privacy and information governance. Prior to joining Mastercard in 2008, Stonier served as Chief Privacy Officer for American Express.
Chief Innovation Officer at Aon
Jillian Slyfield serves as Aon’s Chief Innovation Officer, helping to address growing unmet customer needs related to increased volatility, improved access to capital, developing resilient workforces and developing original products for unseen customers. To find, create and develop important new sources of value for clients, she collaborates with colleagues across Aon. Slyfield previously held the position of Aon’s Digital Economy Practice Leader, where she focused on the future of employment, platform marketplaces and the digital disruption of established businesses.
See the entire Top 100 Women in FinTech list.
