In the wake of International Women’s Day earlier this week, we have cultivated a list of some of the leading and admirable women involved in FinTech in Asia. Here’s to the movers and shakers who dared to disrupt and impact the industry:
Qiuyan Tian, Partner of Prive Technologies & Co-Founder of WealthUp
Of course we can’t start the list without mentioning our very own Head Honcho – Qiuyan Tian. Previously an analyst at Goldman Sachs, she has co-founded three unique companies. She first ventured out of banking when she co-founded Soldgers Pte Ltd and created the e-commerce auctioning sites www.sold.sg and www.sold.my, which was later bought by Migme. She later co-founded ART LOFT ASIA, an online platform used to provide direct access to Asian art.
She’s currently the CEO of WealthUp and Partner at Privé Technologies, where she serves as the head of digital advisory – spurring on making financial education accessible for everyone.
Qiuyan’s advice to future entrepreneurs? Be bold and acknowledge your blind spots.
“Be super shameless,” she said. “It’s about having the courage and strength to own what you’re not good at. That’s pretty powerful on it’s own.”
She says that she’s been one of the fortunate ones, but recognises that there are gender-specific issues concerning work-life balance.
“I do see some struggles. Like if I wanted a family, having to balance between working in this industry and also being a mom. I think that’s a real struggle and I see that with most of my friends and peers,” she said. “I personally haven’t really encountered a lot [of issues in the workplace]… I’ve been very lucky to surround myself with people who are supportive — men and women. I think that’s important.”
Lucy Yueting Liu, Co-Founder & President, Airwallex
Lucy Yueting Liu is the Co-founder & President of Airwallex, a foreign exchange market making and cross border payment company focusing on digital money transfers.
As the 2018 Female FinTech Leader of the Year, Lucy has led her team to achieve milestones such as Unicorn status, a startup that achieves a valuation of over $1 billion, along with earning a spot on Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017. She currently manages business operations for Airwallex, concentrating her efforts on global marketing for the company.
Lucy recognizes that much of the field is run by men, but emphasized the importance of powering through.
“It is true that there are few women in the finance and tech sector,” she said. “But this doesn’t spell doom for women. Women in FinTech, including myself, have a wonderful opportunity to drive change in a sector where their impact will really be felt and recognised.”
“I highly encourage women to consider a career path in FinTech, even if they are not well versed in finance or tech, as there are many non-technical roles available. In any high growth industries such as FinTech, having a positive learning attitude will take you further than on skills alone,” she shares.
Anna Haotanto- Founder, The New Savvy
As the current COO of ABZD Capital and the CMO of Gourmet Food Holdings, along with her leadership in both the Singapore FinTech Association as a founding committee member and the Women in FinTech and Partnership Committee, Anna Haotanto is not shy to explore the boundaries of FinTech.
She was also the founder and former CEO of The New Savvy, a platform that empowers women who are interested in wealth management and financial happiness, Anna has been one of the women leading the charge in increasing the financial literacy of women.
Anna has received numerous awards surrounding her involvement in the industry and powerful female presence in the workforce, including Founder of the Year, the Women Empowerment Award and speaking at the Forbes Most Powerful Women Conference (2015, 2016).
Avril Rae, Director and Head of Fintech, KPMG China (Hong Kong)
Avril Rae currently serves as the Director and Head of Fintech at KPMG China (Hong Kong). With over 20 years of experience in Information Technology and her strong collaborative nature, her wealth of knowledge in FinTech makes her a huge asset for a firm like KPMG to increase its presence and integration of FinTech into their services.
Avril is also a supporter of female-empowerment groups such as Moxie Future, a community platform that seeks to empower female investors in creating sustainable wealth growth. She currently serves as a Co-Chair for the Big Data Committee for the FinTech Association Hong Kong and Technology Committee for the British Chamber of Commerce and the Vice-Chair of the Innovation, along with being a member of the FIX Trading Community.
Daphne Ng, Founder, JEDTrade
Daphne Ng is the founder of JEDTrade, a blockchain technology company focused on trade, supply chain, and financial inclusion projects in Southeast Asia. She also served as the Secretary-General at ACCESS and currently serves on the executive committee of the Singapore Fintech Association, the Singapore Computer Society, and SGTech.
Jessica Lam, Head of Strategy, WeLab
Jessica Lam got her start at Goldman Sachs working in wealth management and corporate finance. She has since transitioned in her career and recently spearheaded the rollout of the WeLab virtual bank as their head of strategy. She is also a board member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong, which represents the local industry on a global scale.
Veronica Fung, Head of Global Markets New Client Onboarding, Vice President at SG Corporate and Investment Banking
Veronica Fung got her start as an analyst at Merrill Lynch and worked her way up as an investment banker. She went on to be the former CEO and co-founder of FoundYou, a company that works to create financial inclusion. When she’s not busy being at the forefront of the FinTech industry, she does pro bono consulting for charities in Hong Kong and developing countries. She has worked at Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking for nearly four years, serving many roles, including Chief of Staff and Vice President. She is also a board member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong and a member of the Consumer Council.
Yosha Gupta, Co-Founder, Indiatechhk
Yosha Gupta may have started out in a small town in India, but she’s making a big impact. She founded her first company, an e-coupon aggregator called LafaLafa, in 2014. LafaLafa garnered more than one million downloads in its first year. She’s also worked as a financial consultant helping businesses all over Asia.
Gupta’s latest venture, MeMeraki, has taken her down a different path of preserving Indian jobs and culture. Gupta was appointed to Hong Kong’s Diversity List 2018, which seeks to give ethnic minorities a say in local decisions. She is also the co-founder of Indiatechhk, a community initiative aimed at advancing Indian start-ups in Hong Kong.
