FinTech Wales has announced Sarah Kocianski as its new CEO, succeeding Sarah Williams-Gardener who served in the position for over three years.
The appointment brings to a close the firm’s search for a new CEO after its call-out last November for someone to “pick up the baton” following the announcement that Williams-Gardener would transition to the role of chair by January this year.
On her appointment, Kocianski says she “can’t wait” to “champion what Welsh fintechs have to offer” and will look to leverage her experience to “help support the wider fintech ecosystem in Wales”.
Kocianski has over a decade of experience working as a fintech and insurtech strategist across start-ups and global institutions. She has previously worked in strategic roles at firms such as Monitise, Business Insider UK, 11:FS, and SJK Insights.
FinTech Wales’ new chair Williams-Gardener states the group’s “aim was to find a leader with extensive experience to support and foster the growth of fintechs in Wales”.
She believes the leadership team has achieved this, claiming Kocianksi’s “expertise and unwavering dedication to support fintechs underscore her alignment with FinTech Wales’ mission”.
Launched in 2019, FinTech Wales is an independent membership association which provides guidance to tech firms and helps them find investment to grow. It currently claims to have over 100 companies in its “family”.
The news of Kocianski’s appointment follows the announcement of Cardiff Capital Region’s (CCR) five-year, £1.6 million investment in FinTech Wales, which adds to the £250,000 seed funding provided by the same investors in 2020.
Source: Fintech Futures
