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Arjun Vir Singh
Brief Profile: Arjun is a Partner with Arthur D. Little’s Financial Services Practice and the Podcast Host of Couchonomics with Arjun
Company: Arthur D.Little
Years in UAE: 14
Years in Fintech: 20+
Grant Niven
Brief Profile: Grant is the founder & partner of Mingzulu – focussed on Digital / Tech. enabled finance – Fintech | Banking l WAM | VC sectors. Also board member of several growth stage Fintechs. Prior to Mingzulu, Grant was Head of Group Digital at Banque Saudi Fransi, and an EY partner
Company: Mingzulu
Years in UAE: 10
Years in Fintech: 20+
Hemant Patel
Brief Profile: Hemant is a progressive transaction banking business specialist across payments, collections, acquiring, trade and supply chain, and building & transforming businesses with over 30 years experience in various aspects within Global Corporate Banking, with an earlier stint in Telcos.
Company: Mingzulu
Years in UAE: 28
Years in Fintech: 20+
Marwan Nader
Brief Profile: Marwan is a Director at Payermax, a leading cross-border payment provider. He has over 14 years of experience in consulting, transformation, BNPL and digital payments where he focused on leveraging emerging technologies for growth and efficiency, implementing digital payment systems, and fostering partnerships across MENA in his various roles in consulting, at Tabby and Al-Futtaim Group.
Company: Payermax
Years in UAE: 10
Years in Fintech: 5+
Raffy Karamanian
Brief Profile: Raffy is the Head of Fintech at Majid Al Futtaim, where he leads the group’s fintech strategy, product lab, innovation, and operations – to deliver value & shape the future of retail commerce.
Company: Majid Al Futtaim
Years in UAE: 3
Years in Fintech: 20
Bicky Carlra
Brief Profile: Bicky is a serial entrepreneur & advisor on multiple start-up boards – He has almost four decades of work experience within Multinational’s & the Consulting domain, overseeing eight businesses on strategies for driving growth, developing partnerships to expand their footprint to create value & plan exists. He is invested in the FinTech, MarTech, HealthTech, RewardTech, MediaTech, EduTech & PropTech domains
Company: WeValue /Multiple
Years in UAE: 32
Years in Fintech: 5+
Alper Celen
Brief Profile: Alper is the founder of Enhance Ventures, the pioneer venture studio in the MENAPT region building ventures for the future of finance and commerce. Previously, Alper was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, strategy manager at Nokia, and an engineer at IBM, Ansys, and NASA subcontractor Millitech. Alper is a Global Startup Studio Network board member and DIFC Innovation Panel member.
Company: Enhance Ventures
Years in UAE: 14
Years in Fintech: 9
Olivia Bellingham
Brief Profile:Olivia is an experienced financial services professional, with a background across sales, strategy, M&A, pricing and analytics. Olivia has spent the last decade in the payments industry, and most recently is Senior Vice President of Account Management for Mastercard Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa.
Company: Mastercard
Years in UAE: 17
Years in Fintech: 19
Renjit Philip
Brief Profile: Renjit is a Partner at Start2Scale consulting that specializes in M&A, funding, and startup growth. Diverse background/ geographies: Tech consulting, financial services, and insurtech. I also host a podcast www.FSBrew.co (insurance and insurtech). •Mentor / session leader at Accelerators: Founder Institute (GCC Silicon Valley)| NSRCEL, IIMB, Bangalore| Loyal VC, Canada. Ex-founder /Angel Investor. •Advisory Experience in inclusive finance, Fintech, Insurtech, Web3, CleanTech, HealthTech and eCommerce 2.0 startups
Company: Start2Scale Consulting/ FutureU Web3 Edtech/ FS Brew Podcast/ Advisory Board of multiple startups
Years in UAE: 17
Years in Fintech: 20+
Shradha Chopra
Brief Profile: Shradha is the founder of 237 Talent, offering leadership coaching and development to startups, fintechs, and large corporations. Shradha is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC, ICF ACC); and a coach partner with ExecOnline, EZRA Coaching, Center for Creative Leadership, and SHL. Previously, Shradha worked at BNP Paribas as VP, heading Leadership Development, Talent Management, and D&I across APAC. Shradha has also served as Head, Human Resources Practice, Asia for Gartner.
Company: 237 Ventures
Years in UAE: 4
Years in Fintech: 5
Amna Usman Chaudhry
Brief Profile: Amna is a financial economist and strategist for emerging tech including blockchain, metaverse and Web 3.0, working with organizations such as the UN. She is a graduate-level lecturer with teaching experience in London and Dubai. She is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. Amna has been listed on the Women in Fintech Powerlist as the Standout 45, is winner of the Global Woman in Web 3.0 Award and also recognized as one of the Top 100 Women of the Future.
Company: Various
Years in UAE: 5+
Years in Fintech: 5+
Gavin Payne
Brief Profile: Gavin heads up Emerging Technology at Amazon Payments Services. Leading teams to solve critical problems through new technology and design, with a focus on FinTech & Open Banking, Artificial Intelligence, and Web 3.0 related innovation. An accomplished entrepreneur and former “Irish Young Entrepreneur of the Year”. Gavin specialises in enterprise creativity and innovation over two decades, having had leadership positions at Visa, IBM, Finastra and CGI (Logica). He is a frequent speaker at events on open banking, future of payments and CBDC/crypto and frequently publish thought leadership articles.
Company: Amazon Payment Services
Years in UAE: 12
Years in Fintech: 10
Gabrielle Inzirillo
Brief Profile: Gabrielle is a financial regulator focused on delivering new frameworks that promote innovation and economic growth. She oversees the Ecosystem Development function within the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market, informing its fintech and digital asset strategy through industry engagements and public consultations. Gabrielle previously managed venture capital firm Plug And Play’s EMEA fintech division, investing in early stage startups and leading portfolio value creation. Prior to this she executed on the fintech strategy at Citi and built new financial models at Bloomberg.
Company: Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
Years in UAE: 3
Years in Fintech: 8