2024 Featured Ambassadors

Anjali D'Mello is the Head of Public Relations for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Nium, where she spearheads strategic communications and media efforts for the global fintech leader across these pivotal regions. With over thirteen years of expertise in marketing and communications, she brings a wealth of experience to her role.

Prior to Nium, Anjali spent a decade specialising in tech PR, where she helped boost the visibility of high-growth tech startups, particularly across the APAC region.

A passionate advocate for women in tech, Anjali is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the industry. As she prepares to welcome her second child, she strives to inspire other women to find success and balance whilst navigating their professional and personal journeys.

Arjun is a Partner with Arthur D. Little's Global Financial Service Practice. His areas of focus include Fintech, Payments and Digital Assets. He is deeply involved in the overall Fintech Ecosystem across the MENA region – as an angel investor, advisor, mentor and commentator. He is also a special advisor to the board of Elevandi. 

He also the hosts a podcast called ‘Couchonomics with Arjun’ which focusses on the Future of Financial Services and is a Founding Member of the largest grassroots Fintech Community in the MENA region called ‘Fintech Tuesdays’. In 2022, Arjun was selected as the Voice of Gulf Region by Linkedin. 

Arvin is the co-founder and CEO of hoolah, a leading 'Buy Now, Pay Later' service provider that revolutionized the retail industry in Singapore. Under his leadership, hoolah quickly gained market traction and became the go-to BNPL platform for thousands of retailers and consumers alike. In late 2021, Arvin successfully led the sale of hoolah to ShopBack, Asia's leading shopping & rewards platform.

Prior to founding hoolah, Arvin held key positions at global payments giants Visa and Worldpay, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the future of payments and fintech innovation in the Asia Pacific region. 

With his extensive experience, deep industry knowledge, and strong track record of success, Arvin also advises tech startups seeking to drive innovation and growth, including Fly Fairly and Cinch.

Currently working as Industry Principal Architect for Financial Services, APAC at Google Cloud and based out of Singapore.

Banker Turned Technologist! With over 22 years of experience working with Standard Chartered, IBM and Oracle.

Worked Extensively in the Digital Banking Space for Standard Chartered launching state of the art Internet Banking and Mobile Banking Solution across 33 consumer banking markets. These apps were used by over 5 Mn Digital Active Customers with 95% of the Payments, Sales and Services Transactions performed Digitally. The apps won various awards notably Webby’s, Global Finance for 5 years running.

Passionate about Data, Digital and AI and has over the years helped multiple clients in the APAC region transform with Technology. Always looking to come with new platform ideas that help connect various ecosystems.

Meet Betty, Specialist Fintech Director at Austrade Singapore (Australian government trade and investment development agency), passionately driving productive fintech foreign investment to Australia while facilitating global expansion for Australian fintech exporters. With a rich 17-year background in Southeast Asia's fintech and financial services realm, she founded and led a successful regtech startup for 5 years after a thrived 5 years of VC investments. Betty holds a Master of Science from Nanyang Technological University and is an esteemed member of the Singapore Institute of Directors and the Singapore Fintech Association.

Cassandra has been working in the healthcare space for the last decade. Trained academically in communications management, with a strong interest and solid experience in Healthcare Operations and Strategy, she believes in building a strong and inclusive ecosystem with like-minded stakeholders to build strong business collaborations. 

She is passionate about de-stigmatising mental health and making it accessible. She advocates that we should take a proactive approach in caring for our mental wellbeing and is excited to journey with Intellect to make this vision a reality. Cassandra has recently obtained her graduate diploma in Counselling Psychology. 

As the VP of Partnerships and Solutions, Cassandra oversees partnerships, corporate solutions, expansion in regional markets as well as Intellects' chain on clinics.

Eelee Lua is an accomplished business leader in the FinTech and RegTech space, specialising in risk mitigation, market development and strategic partnerships. With over 16 years of experience, Eelee has spearheaded diverse initiatives that have fuelled the growth and success of large corporates and early-stage startups alike. She is currently the Chief of Staff to the founder of xcube.co, a Corporate Venture Studio specialising in venture building with web3 & AI technologies via an ecosystem approach.

Eelee's active engagement in industry events, such as keynote speeches, panel discussions, and participation in prestigious conferences, underscores her thought leadership and influence in the technology and risk management landscape. Her latest article, “Circular Financial Identity - The Missing Piece for Financial Inclusion”, is also featured on IDC's The Next Big Thing - Editor's Pick.

Eelee recently obtained the SID-accredited Board Director designation, one of her latest professional qualifications. She is committed to leveraging her knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully at the board level and promote good corporate governance across the tech industry.

Huy Nguyen Trieu is the Co-Founder of CFTE. CFTE - Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship is a global leading education platform for finance professionals with the mission to bridge the gap between technology and people in finance through education at scale. Huy is a recognised speaker at global platforms in the fields of emerging technologies in finance, fintech, blockchain, Skills and Talent in the Tech world. He has been a keynote speaker, chaired roundtables, delivered workshops and masterclasses, etc. Huy and CFTE have been Knowledge Partners and Professional Development Partners of the premier thought leadership forums globally including the Singapore Fintech Festival since its inception, Point Zero Forum, Global Fintech Festival, 24 Fintech, Japan Fintech Festival, Abu Dhabi Finance Week, OMFIF Digital Summit, Citi Digital Money Symposium, Dubai Fintech Summit, Money 2020, Finnovate Europe, and many more. Huy led CFTE as a close collaborator with Elevandi with whom CFTE co-created and launched the course “Rearchitecting the Financial System” during SFF 2023. 

With Singapore Fintech Festival, Huy has been an SFF Ambassador from 2022 and hosted roundtables at last year’s SFF on the topic: Bullish or bearish: The Impact of Generative AI on Financial Services; he has chaired several roundtables with regulators, CXOs, Global Heads of Data and AI on topics around the impact, potential, skills and outlook of AI. 

Recently, in May 2024, Huy also pioneered the CFTE Future Skills Forum in the Museum of the Future, Dubai, leading a symposium of over 800 leaders in fintech, financial services, and central banks to address the future of work.

An MIT engineer by background, an entrepreneur by nature, and more generally a “big picture” person, Huy Trieu Nguyen has held senior leadership postions at RBS, SocGen and Citi as Managing Director. As a leader in the Fintech world, Huy has also dedicated to teaching and preparing the next generation for digital finance as a Fellow at Oxford and Fintech Advisor at the World Economic Forum. 

He is also the CEO of The Disruptive Group, a business builder and advisory firm in innovation and finance, and Venture Partner at Mundi Ventures, an early-stage VC fund in Fintech and Insurtech. He believes that in a world led by technology, we shouldn’t forget the importance of people, which is why he co-founded CFTE to help people improve their skills and find opportunities. Before banking, he was the CEO of Ukibi, a VC-funded startup in the US. He is a frequent keynote speaker in Europe and Asia, likes to teach and share with professionals and entrepreneurs, and is regularly quoted in articles on innovation and finance. 

He writes the blog Disruptive Finance, is an Entrepreneurship Expert at Oxford Said Business School and a Fintech Fellow at the Centre for Global Finance and Technology at Imperial College. He was the co-creator Oxford Said’s Fintech Course. He was also a member of ESMA’s Consultative Working Group for financial innovation and a founding member of the Asian SuperCharger, one of the largest Fintech accelerators in Asia. Huy is currently writing a book ‘The AI-fication of Jobs’ that discusses key questions around the impact of AI on the future of work using a newly researched innovation impact model.  Huy is a graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT (US), École Polytechnique (France) and Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees (France).

An enthusiastic and long-term member of the Fintech community, Irina is an accomplished Fintech marketing leader with almost two decades of hands-on experience building world-class brands at the intersection of Payments and Technology across Europe and Asia. Currently, she is the CMO at Volt, a real-time payments platform driving innovation in Open Banking.

Before joining Volt, Irina was CMO at Thunes, a global fintech focused on modern payment infrastructure connecting developed and emerging markets. She also played a pivotal role at Rapyd, leading its go-to-market strategy in APAC and managing brand, communications, and social media.

Irina’s experience includes launching GrabPay and GrabRewards at Grab, Southeast Asia's super-app, and several years at Visa, where she contributed to marketing efforts across APAC and the Innovation Centre.

She is passionate about super-apps, embedded finance, alternative payment methods, and the future of payments.

Jon Scheele leads technology strategy, implementation and training with leading enterprises in the financial services and telecommunications industries. A special focus is helping companies to scale their business through digitally-enabled partnerships within and beyond their industry.

In fostering the technology community in Singapore, Jon organises apidays Singapore, an annual two-day conference on the business and technology of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Jon also hosts the API Connections podcast, and organises the API Craft Singapore and Platform Engineers Singapore meetup groups.

As a Fellow at National University of Singapore’s Advanced Computing for Executives, Jon teaches software development, APIs and RPA on NUS’s Advanced Professional Certificate in Fintech program.

As the project manager for numerous platform projects, Jon has implemented technology-enabled change initiatives for large and medium-sized companies across 7 countries. Jon is adept at addressing the technical and organisational obstacles that need to be overcome for successful implementation.

With over two decades of experience across fintech, product marketing, and strategy, Ms Puah has led high-impact product and partnership initiatives, driving financial inclusion and transformation. Her career spans leadership roles, including CEO, President of Fintech Association Malaysia, and country-level marketing head positions, where she built and scaled fintech ecosystems. Passionate about driving sustainable growth, Ms Puah thrives on creating meaningful partnerships and crafting compelling narratives that bring value to businesses and communities.

Karishma is a seasoned communications and brand expert with 9+ years in the financial and tech sectors. Currently heading communications at Revolut Singapore, she shapes the brand’s narrative, oversees external communications for product launches & campaigns, and drives thought leadership across media, events, and conferences. She's passionate about crafting impactful stories that resonate and building brands that leave a lasting impression.

Keith B. Carter leverages disruptive technology to drive orderly transformation, grounded in 29 years of business and education experience. As Partner of KDA Capabilities—a firm specializing in emerging technology capability building and thought leadership—he has been called upon to teach and consult with senior leaders, civil servants, and elected officials across the US, Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and APAC.
He taught undergraduate, graduate, and executive-level courses at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for 10 years, covering AI, machine learning, information analytics, FinTech, supply chain, and IT government policy. 
Keith received the NUS School of Computing Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2019 and 2020, and the NUS 
University Academic Teaching Excellence Award in 2020. He was the founding director of the NUS Ripple FinTech Lab and co-founding director of the Crystal Centre, a deep-tech research center. He established the NUS FinTech Society and created NUS FinTech SG, a SkillsFuture mid-career conversion program launched during COVID-19 to help professionals transition into technology and banking positions.
He is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee in Washington, D.C., and serves on the board of the DEC Institute in Switzerland and is advisor to startups.

Mansi is a dynamic global marketing leader with a profound passion for payments and technology. Her unique blend of strategic insight, execution prowess, and creativity distinguishes her in the industry. With over 12 years of experience propelling high-growth payment companies like Thunes, Nium, and The Economic Times Digital, she has solidified her status as an expert in the field.

As the Integrated Marketing Leader at Ant International, Mansi plays a crucial role in positioning Alipay+ and Ant International as global frontrunners in cross-border payments. Her digital-first mindset and innovative strategies consistently deliver exceptional business results, driving brand building, digital transformation, and sustained growth.

Oliver Bussmann is a globally recognized technology thought leader and driver of large-scale transformation at multi-national organizations and portfolio companies of private equity firms. The Founder and CEO of Bussmann Advisory AG, he advises enterprises and private equity companies looking to stay ahead of the digital disruption curve in the financial services and high-tech industry.

He is a Non-Executive Board Director at Bank of America Europe, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, BSI Software (Capvis portfolio company), Board Chairman at xSuite Group (3i Group portfolio company) and Advisory Board member of the largest European Asset Manager Amundi, Royal London and Actico (Bregal portfolio company).

In addition, he also holds important mandates in industry associations, including Board Member at Elevandi as part of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Oliver was Co- founder and former President of the Swiss Crypto Valley Association which is the largest blockchain ecosystem with over 1’500 startups in Switzerland.

From 2013 to 2016 Bussmann was Group Chief Information Officer of UBS, where he successfully led a major Business and IT transformation effort, instituted a new group-wide innovation framework and established UBS as a pioneer in the development of blockchain for use in financial services. Prior to joining UBS Bussmann was Global Chief Information Officer at SAP, where he also spearheaded significant technology transformation and integration of company acquisitions, and before that CIO for North America & Mexico at Allianz. Previous roles have included executive positions at Deutsche Bank and IBM.
Bussmann's achievements and thought leadership have been widely recognized. He was named COO/CTO of the year by Financial News/The Wall Street Journal, European CIO of the Year by INSEAD/CIONET, Top FinTech Influencer to follow by Onalytica, Swiss FinTech Award, received the Elite 8 Award, which is given to the most innovative leaders in technology working in capital markets by Wall Street & Technology Magazine, and has twice been included on the Financial News ""FinTech 40"" list of innovators shaping the future of finance.

Reuben is Chief Executive Officer at Singapore FinTech Association (SFA). He leads the secretariat and works with the executive committee to spearhead initiatives that strengthen the FinTech ecosystem in Singapore. 

With over 18 years of experience in business development and management, Reuben has empowered both large enterprises, SMEs and government agencies in uncovering valuable revenue and growth opportunities through active business partnering and strong leadership. He has led teams across the industries of aviation, real estate investment, marine, intellectual property, amongst others. 

Reuben graduated from the Singapore Management University in Business Management (SMU), with a Magna Cum Laude. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in IP Management and Innovations Management from Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). 

Sebastian Sieber is Chief Marketing Officer of Syfe, Asia’s leading holistic digital wealth management platform empowering people to build their wealth for a better future. Joining Syfe even before its launch, Sebastian has played a key role in the company’s rapid growth, with nearly 5% of adult Singaporeans now using the platform to achieve their financial goals. Built on the pillars of access, advice, and affordability, Syfe caters to the different wealth needs of individuals with diversified proprietary portfolios, cash management solutions, and brokerage.

Prior to joining Syfe, Sebastian was the Chief Marketing Officer of Lazada Indonesia. He had joined Lazada as one of its first employees in early 2012 and stayed with Lazada until its acquisition by Alibaba Group. Sebastian started his career at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in brand management.

Aside from the wealth of experience gained in his decade-long career, Sebastian also holds a Master’s degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Shadab is the President of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), the national industry association and a cross-industry initiative designed to facilitate collaboration between all market participants and stakeholders in the FinTech ecosystem. SFA brings together a strong community to foster collaboration, innovation and partnerships among members and the industry at-large, with the goal of strengthening Singapore’s position as a global FinTech hub. As the elected President since March 2021, Shadab leads the SFA Executive Committee, which sets the strategic direction for its activities related to representation and advocacy, fostering business growth, facilitating access to capital and opportunities as well as growing the FinTech talent pool.
 
Shadab has over 18 years of experience working in the financial services industry with over 14 years at FinTech companies. He has a strong track record of growing businesses in the fintech space and is a thought-leader across multiple diverse fintech segments such as wealthtech, insurtech, payments, digital financing as well as web3.0 applications in financial services.

Simon Fiquet is the Chief Revenue Officer of Sleek, driving marketing, sales, partnership and customer success globally. He joined Sleek in 2021, originally driving product & strategy. Among other achievements, he built and successfully launched the Sleek Business Account, now used by thousands of SMEs in Singapore. Prior to Sleek, Simon spent 5 years at Expedia Group, holding positions in General Management (including MD of Emerging Markets), 8 years at Google, and 3 years as Strategy Consultant. He calls Singapore home since 2011.

Tawishi is the Vice President of Innovation and Platform Economy Leader at Singlife. She has extensive experience in the field of Digital, FinTech and Innovation Strategy and Transformation, and is currently leading multiple initiatives at Singlife spanning across Embedded Finance, Gig Economy amongst others. In addition to that, she also serves as the Chair of Women-in-FinTech Sub-committee at Singapore FinTech Association leading the mandate to drive inclusivity and diversity in the fintech ecosystem. She is also the Think Tank and Ecosystem Lead at FinTech Nation, a development institution that aims to democratize access to economic opportunities, with an investment arm supporting early-stage fintech and embedded finance companies in South east asia.

Tram Anh Nguyen is a pioneering figure in the global finance and technology sectors. In 2017, she co-founded CFTE (Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship) to bridge the skills gap in financial services and FinTech through education at scale. Her work has been instrumental in shaping transformative programmes that empower professionals to excel in the digital economy, with a strong focus on lifelong learning, inclusivity, and equipping individuals with future-ready skills.

Tram Anh strongly believes that in a world dominated by technology, people must remain at the centre of society and organisations, with education and training as key enablers for adapting to a fast-changing world. This drove her to build CFTE into one of the fastest-growing education platforms in Finance and FinTech, helping finance professionals upskill, find opportunities, and contribute to a better financial system.

A champion of cross-border collaboration, Tram Anh has forged meaningful partnerships with governments, regulators, and industry leaders across Singapore, MENA, Europe, and the UK, advancing financial education and innovation. She plays a crucial role in fostering dialogue between regulators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, bridging regions and promoting inclusive access to financial education globally.
Recognised for her thought leadership, Tram Anh regularly speaks at prestigious international forums. She co-chairs British Chamber of Commerce’s Financial and FinTech Committee in Singapore, shaping discussions between the UK and Singapore. She holds key advisory roles on the board of Elevandi Japan, a nonprofit by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and serves as a Non-Executive Director. She is an Executive Committee member of 100 Women in FinTech, a working group from the US 100 Women in Finance. As an Entrepreneurship Expert at Saïd Business School, Oxford, Tram Anh brings her fintech, finance, and education expertise to the academic world.

Her accolades include being awarded Top 10 Asia Tech Pioneers in the UK’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builders, Woman FinTech Ecosystem Senior Leader by Asian Digital Finance Forum, Top 10 Women Transforming Tech, Senior Leader Women in Fintech. She strongly advocates for women leadership in FinTech. She is also the Ambassador for the Singapore Fintech Festival.

She also co-authored the Fintech Job Report, which outlines key emerging roles and skills for the future workforce, providing insights for governments, regulators, and employers.

Prior to co-founding CFTE, she has amassed 18 years of experience in traditional finance, as a former capital market trader in New York for Standard Chartered Bank, and a wealth manager for UBS in London and advisor to family offices.

Of Vietnamese origin, Tram Anh was born in France and lived in Paris, New York, and now resides in London.

Vanessa Chin is the Head of Partnerships and Business Development for APAC and the Middle East at Carta. Carta is a platform that helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Globally, Carta manages over two trillion dollars in equity for nearly two million people, trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 investment funds and SPVs, and half a million employees for cap table management, compensation management, liquidity, venture capital solutions, and more.

Vanessa was an early member of the Carta Singapore team and has been instrumental in driving its growth across the APAC region. Prior to joining Carta, she founded two companies: a traditional business offering swim classes for kids and adults, and an e-commerce grocery store importing fresh produce from Australia and Europe. Her entrepreneurial journey culminated in a successful exit from the grocery business, providing her with deep insights into the challenges founders face.

A passionate advocate for founders, Vanessa actively supports the startup ecosystem, bringing her firsthand experience as both an entrepreneur and a business leader. She is a seasoned speaker and moderator, having spoken at fintech summits and events featuring startup founders, fund managers (GPs), and capital allocators (LPs).

Vanessa Ho is the Co-Founder of Fintech Nation Fund. Fintech Nation Fund invests in early stage startups in Southeast Asia with a domain expertise in fintech. Fintech Nation also lead community initiatives and thought leadership pieces.

Prior to Fintech Nation, Vanessa co-founded NUS Alumni Ventures, a 150-member angel network of founders, C-suites and VC Partners. Vanessa is now an advisor of the angel network.

Beyond startup investment, Vanessa is entrenched in the media industry with experience in both traditional and social media. She supports startups with consumer behaviour insights and go-to market strategies with her experience. She is also one of the hosts and co-founders of entrepreneurship podcast, Hatch & Hustle.