LEADING LADY IN FINTECH
What's your story? What drew you to FinTech?
I have a very untraditional path to FinTech. In fact, I had never heard that term until I joined Wealthsimple. I studied International Development at the University of Guelph, with a focus on political economy and administrative change. I always dreamt of working at a charity or non-profit.
After graduation, I interned with an organization called Marketers Without Borders. The founder of MWB joined Wealthsimple in the fall of September 2014 and asked me to join his marketing team. It seemed like an amazing opportunity so I jumped right in.
Prior to Wealthsimple, I wasn't necessarily passionate about the concept of personal finance or investing. In fact, if you had told me I would end up working in financial services or technology, I would have never believed you. But I quickly realized how powerful our mission was and the impact we can make through technology. And that's why I've stayed in FinTech!
What makes FinTech an exciting area to build your career in?
FinTech is very trendy right now, and there are so many opportunities for disruption. Specific trends and niches are growing at an exponential rate. It's a topic that's relevant to every single person around the world and the tools we build help them gain financial freedom. Not only can you work in a really cool space, but you can also make an impact. There's something special about financial empowerment and shaping the future of financial services.
What do you think are some of the most exciting FinTech trends likely to influence the Financial Services industry?
Standard responses to this question would be blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies or AI. And while I agree that those are fascinating, I believe the most powerful feature of FinTech is the ability to make your platform available to everyone: no matter who they are, where they come from or what their circumstance is. You can remove many of the barriers associated with financial services including trust, education, and accessibility. The future of financial services is inclusive of everyone. I'd like to see more discussions around that trend.
What steps do you think the big Financial Services organizations must take to stay competitive?
Don't make it a competition. There are mutually beneficial relationships that can exist between big financial service and FinTech companies. Together, they can create powerful products and experiences. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, and leverage your expertise to build consumer-first products together.
What is essential to ensuring FinTech companies attain gender equality?
First and foremost, don't use the gender gap in the financial and technology industries as an excuse for not having a diverse team. Ensure that you make diversity a priority early on, support community organizations that advance women in tech and ensure that you're building an inclusive place to work. Ensure that there's a sense of belonging, that people can bring their authentic selves to work each day and all voices can be heard. For example, Wealthsimple sponsors community-related events focused on women, we've established partnerships with organizations like Women and Color, and Move the Dial, we host monthly events with our women of Wealthsimple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and workshops to discuss topics like allyship and unconscious bias.
If you did not need to sleep, how would you spend the extra eight hours a day?
I really enjoy sleeping so that sounds horrible. I love a good side hustle so I'd diversify my work portfolio even further. I also have a growing number of books stacking on my desk, ideally, I could get to reading all of those!
In Mallory Greene's own words, exclusively for LADIES iN FINTECH.
© LADIES iN FINTECH 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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