


Wecanallagreethatleadershipstylesseverelyimpact employeeproductivity,inter-departmentalcommunication, andproductandbusinessdevelopment.Leadersare essentiallymeanttoenhanceemployees’commitment towardsreachingtheirfullpotentialinachievingavalueaddedsharedvisionwithintegrityandpassion.
Theroleofprogressiveandvisionaryleadershipisallimportantwhenitcomestonewsectorslikefintech. Leadershipneedstobeabletoenvisagethefutureandbe aheadofthecurvewhenitcomestotakingboldbusiness decisions.Thefutureofbusinessliesindigital transformation,anditrequiresapragmaticleaderwith foresighttosettheenterpriseontherightpath.
Financialservicesbusinesseshaveundergonemorechange inthelastthreeyearsthaninthelastthreedecades.It’svery importantforpeopleleadingengineeringandproductteams withinfinancialinstitutionstorespondquicklytomarket dynamics,underlyingtechnicalchangesandimprovements totheirservices.
Leadersalsohavetoshowalotofempathytowards customersandtheirneeds,whichhasbecomeoneofthe mostimportantfactorsinthesuccessofnewfinancial servicescompanies.Overall,beingresponsibleforother people’smoneyisachallengingtaskandbeingaperson withalotofintegrityandempathyisoftheessence.
Leaderscomeindifferentshapesandsizes,andpeoplefrom differentbackgroundsandexperiencestendtobringunique perspectivesonthings.Asthefintechlandscapeisevolving rapidly,weneedpeoplewithmoreandmorediverseideas onhowtomakefinancialtoolsuniversallyavailableto empowerpeopletowardstheirindividualprogress.
Thisrequiresagoodunderstandingofhowtechnologyis evolvingintermsofpayments,banking,investing,and lending,amongothers.Atthesametime,onealsoneeds goodobservationskillstowardconsumerbehaviourand trends.
Mappingthejourneyofthevisionaryleaderswhoare transformingthefutureoftheFintechsector,Insights Successshedslighton‘The10MostInfluentialLeaders inFinanceIndustry2023.’
Flipthroughthepagesandindulgeyourselfintheodyssey ofprolongedexcellence.
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Editor-in-Chief
Merry D'Souza
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David King
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March, 2023
FeaturedPerson
AmandaYoung ChiefSustainability Officer
AmmaraMasood CEO
DavidDonovan ExecutiveVice President
DonnaBruce Director
ElieFakhoury SeniorManagingDirector -MiddleEastFinancial Advisory
GeorginaJarratt ManagingDirector
GregSmith SVP,Digital
LilyLiu
SeniorVicePresident
MirellaReznic ChiefStrategyOfficer
abrdn abrdn.com
NdcTech ndctech.net
PublicisSapient publicissapient.com
AltoAccounting&Advisory altoadvisors.com.au
Teneo'sFinancial Advisory teneo.com
ICMA icmagroup.org
CityNationalBank cnb.com
CitiCiti citigroup.com
ValleyStrongCreditUnion valleystrong.com
PeterOakes peteroakes.com
Amandabelievesthatinvestingintherightwayhastheability tomakeapositivedifferencetotheenvironmentandthe societiesinwhichwelive.
AmmarahaspursuedaversatilecareerpathtraversingInformation Technology;ConsultingandEntrepreneurshipacross3continents.
AtPublicisSapient,Donovanhelpsdrivemarketstrategy,often identifyingandcapitalizingonemergingglobalmarketgrowth opportunities.
Donnais focusedondevelopingrelationshipstoensureamutual understandingofneedsandgoalsandworkingtogethertodevelop strategiestoachievethem.
ElieFakhouryisaSeniorManagingDirectorwithTeneo's FinancialAdvisorybusinessintheMiddleEast.
Georginaisfocused,resourcefulandinspirationalwithpolished communicationskillsandnaturalauthority,apopular,compassionate leaderwhobuildscollaborativerelationships.
GregisanExperiencedseniorleaderwithademonstratedhistoryof workingacrossbankingandfinancialservicesverticals.
Lilyleadsateamof12employeeprofessionalsfromUSA, SingaporeandIndiatodelivergovernanceonembeddedcontrol, productmanagement,engineeringcertification&lifecycle management,andBudget&Expense.
MirellaReznicisacreative,results-drivenproductleaderwith provensuccessinleadingteamstodriverevenuegrowth,regulatory complianceandbusinesstransformation.
PeterisanInternationalpresenter,speaker&mediacommentator: regulatoryrisk,fintech,finserv.Presentationsdeliveredto>10,000 professionals.Contactmeforspeakingengagements.
PeterOakes ChairmanLeadingwithstrategicthinking,analyticalskills,
businessacumen,financialliteracy,and adaptability,DavidDonovanprovidesinnovative solutionstoglobalmarketsinvestmentbankingandasset managementclients.
AstheExecutiveVicePresidentatPublicisSapient, Davidexecutesandspansallsignificantassetswithastrong understandingoffacingchallenges.
Davidhasledseveraltransformationalprogramsformany ofSapient'slargestclients.Inadditiontoleading transformationalprograms,hehasalsobeenresponsiblefor shapingsomeofSapient'smostprominentoutsourcingand co-sourcingrelationshipsrelatedtotechnologyandbusiness operations.WecaughtupwithDavidanddiscussedhis professionaljourneyandwhatheaimsforinthefuture.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brieflydescribeyourprofessionaljourneyupuntilnow.
IcurrentlyleadtheGlobalFinancialServicesPracticefor AmericaforPublicisSapientandhaveP&Lresponsibilities acrosstheAmericasforsettingglobalstrategyanddriving revenues.IamproudofthewonderfulteamIlead,where weworkwithsomeofthelargestandmostinnovative financialservicesinstitutions,helpingthemwithstrategic digitaltransformationstosolvecomplexengineering challenges.
Lookingbackatmyprofessionaljourney,Icanbreakthat intotwodistinctparts.Thefirstpartofmyprofessional journeywaswhereIgottolearnthebusinessbyactually workinginthe'businessoffinance'.Aftergraduatingfrom BostonUniversity,Iworkedfor13+yearsonthetrading deskofoneofthelargestassetmanagementfirmsand,over theyears,ledtechnologytradingdesksduringthe significantgrowthoftechnologyIPO/M&Aactivities.
Thesecondpartofmycareerjourneyinvolvedbuilding teamsandcapabilitiesatscaleandleveragingtechnologyto provideservicestosomeoftheUS'slargestandmost innovativefinancialservicesplayers.Last18+years,Ihave putonmyconsulting,strategicadviserto-C-suite executiveshat.Iamproudtobeinvolvedwithmultiple strategicinitiativeshelpingdigitallytransformbanks, capitalmarkets,andequitytradingplatformsandleveraging globalizationtoreducecostsandgrowrevenues.
Whatchallengesdidyoufacealongtheway?
Anycareerjourneygoesthroughitsownuniquesetof challenges.Everyoneexperiencestheirupsanddown. Sometimesthosearemacroeconomicsrelated–market shifts,globalchanges,tosometimesorganizationdynamics. Ihavehadmyfairshareofchallengesandopportunities. Someofthemweremarketdrives–fromthe2000.com crashtothe2008financialservicesmarketcrash.Working inthosechallengingmarketenvironmentsrequired developinginnovativewaystomanageteams,clients,and markets.Iwouldsaythebiggestoneformewouldbe transitioningfrombeinginthebusinesstoproviding servicestothebusiness.Ittookmeatransitionperiodto adjusttoandunderstandwhatittakestobeavalue-added trustedadviser.Iwasfortunatethathavingworkedinthe industryforseveralyearsallowedmetoindeedbeinthe customer'sshoesandbuildonservicesandcapabilities.
Whatsignificantimpacthaveyoubroughttothe financialservicesindustry?
Fromrunningatradingdeskandnowintheconsulting technologyspacehasallowedmetoofferuniqueinsightsto ourcustomers.WhatIammostproudofintermsofimpact ontheindustrycomesfromseeingourlargeandmarquee financialservicescustomersbuildstrongdigitaltechnology foundations,buildpartnershipswithfintechandmaketheir customerlivesmoreaccessible.
WeatSapienthavebeenabletoofferauniqueperspective ondoingengineeringatscaletoprovidecost-effective digitaltransformationsthathavesignificantlyimpactedour customers.Frombuildingdigitalbankstouniquecrossbordercapabilities.
PublicisSapientaimstobeanewbreedofdigital transformationpartner.Whatisneededtodayisa combinationofvisiontohelpcompaniesidentifywhere theycancreatevalueandthecapabilitiesthathelpthem achieveit.Wecanstraddlethosetwoworldsandhelpour clientsdeterminetherightthingstodoaswellasexecute. It'sabouttransformingandinnovatingclients'businessesto
createexponentialvaluebydrivingnewrevenuegrowth, increasingoperationalagilityandeffectiveness,and creatingbettercustomerexperiences.
Ourcultureisoneofourgreatestassetsandallowsusto deliverbetterclientoutcomes.Muchofthatculturestems fromourworkplaceflexibility,wherewehavewon numerousawardsforDiversity&Inclusion,LGBTQ+ equality,andworkingmothers,includingarecent2023 GreatPlacetoWorkcertification,whichhighlightedthefact that94%ofourpeoplecitedthebenefitofbeingableto taketimeoff,amongotherhighlights,asoneofthereasons