Archives: team-member

As Chief Strategy Officer at Bloom, Ben DiScipio brings 30 years of leadership in business development, technology, product vision, marketing, and operations. Ben is a co-founder and Advisor for Fundopolis, a broker-dealer working in the growing Crowdfunding space where he was a licensed Investment Banker. He began his career at Standish, Ayer & Wood, a Boston-based investment advisor, completely revamping their marketing materials and technology and helping to point them towards sustained growth. From there, he became a founding member of The Lab, a business process re-engineering consultancy in Cambridge, MA where he served as a consultant and Director of Operations – responsible for all aspects of the startup including technology infrastructure, design, marketing, and client services. He was the VP of Client Services for Vizy Interactive, an interactive media consultancy with offices in NY, London, and Paris. He has served in various capacities with deep experience in technology, marketing, operations, and business development. It is only fitting that his career now moves to the emerging DeFi space.

Leigh Phillips is the President & CEO of SaverLife, a national nonprofit that helps working families achieve prosperity through savings. Since joining in 2015, Leigh has led SaverLife’s transformation from a local direct service organization to a leading financial technology nonprofit. SaverLife’s flagship program, SaverLife.org, now serves over 170,000 clients across all 50 states.

Prior to joining SaverLife, Leigh was the founding Director of the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, spending over ten years in City Hall. Under Leigh’s leadership, the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment spearheaded several “first in the nation” programs to increase financial inclusion, such as Bank On San Francisco, the first municipally led effort to bank the unbanked and Kindergarten to College, the first universal and automatic college savings program for public school children.

On the national level, Leigh was instrumental in the creation of the Nonprofit Leaders in Financial Technology Coalition, of which she is an active member, and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Coalition, which advocates for greater financial opportunity and protection for all Americans in cities across the United States.

Emmalyn has a keen eye for innovative technologies with the potential to upend the traditional financial landscape and strengthen economic resilience. Emmalyn co-manages Flourish and leads investments focused on promoting financial health in the US.

She has 20 years of technology investing experience, working closely with entrepreneurs to build large scale businesses. As a partner at Omidyar Network, Emmalyn co-managed the Financial Inclusion team. Prior to that, she was a venture partner at Oak Investment Partners, deploying over $150 million of capital in companies such as Bleacher Report, Huffington Post, Thrillist, and Demand Media. Before Oak, she led software and internet investments including Tellme Networks, Neoteris, and MySpace at VantagePoint Partners and the Barksdale Group.

KCD PR President Kevin Dinino is regarded as a leader in financial public relations and strategic communications. He works closely with his team to ensure all clients receive sound counsel, effective solutions, and impactful results.

Before launching KCD PR in 2009, Kevin served as Vice President of Public Relations for LPL Financial, the nation’s largest independent brokerage firm, where he managed the public relations department and provided strategic communications direction to the executive team. He is an industry and Wall Street veteran and a sought-after source for public relations and marketing insights relating to finance, high tech, cybersecurity, and other related topics. Through his years in public relations, Kevin has developed influential relationships and secured coverage in major media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, BusinessWeek, and CNBC.

As a leader in financial services, author, public speaker, and podcaster, Sheri Fitts has been a leading voice for women in the financial services industry for over 30 years.

Starting at just five years old, Sheri knew she had a passion for sales and marketing as she went door to door selling her very own homemade rose-petal perfume. Before landing her roles as OCMO for HUB Retirement and Private Wealth and Sheridan Road Financial, Sheri debuted in the financial services industry as an award-winning graphic designer and then progressed to participant curriculum design.

About SynapseFI:

Founded in 2015, Synapse provides payment, deposit, lending, and investment products as APIs to FinTech companies who build and launch their financial innovations on top of our banking infrastructure. Our mission is to ensure that everyone around the world has access to best-in-class financial products, regardless of their net worth.

Walter Svoboda is a seasoned professional with a rich background in the IT industry. He hails from Salzburg, Austria, and has a deep interest in observing the ever-evolving IT scene. Walter is a graduate of HTL Salzburg in Elektrotechnik and has excelled in his field over the years. With over two decades of experience at Wüstenrot Datenservice GmbH, Walter showcased his expertise in IT strategy and development of core systems for the Wüstenrot Gruppe Österreich. His tenure at Wüstenrot Datenservice GmbH spanned from March 2000 to July 2021, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s IT landscape. Prior to his time at Wüstenrot, Walter served as the Managing Partner at Aprosoft, specializing in document management solutions and developing applications for AS/400 and Mainframe systems. His experience in this role, from 1993 to 2000, honed his leadership and technical skills, setting a strong foundation for his future endeavors. Walter’s journey in the IT industry began as a Software Developer at Wüstenrot Versicherung AG in the mid-80s, where he contributed to the evolution of insurance applications and played a key role in establishing IT systems for prominent institutions like BAWAG-Versicherung and the 3 Banken Versicherungs AG. Furthermore, Walter’s early career at Bausparkasse Wüstenrot from 1978 to 1985 saw him involved in designing and developing critical applications in the banking and insurance sector, further solidifying his expertise in the field. Away from his professional commitments, Walter is an active member of the community, volunteering his time as the President of Union Tennisclub Oberalm and serving as a member of the municipal council in Oberalm, overseeing the Culture, Sports, and Associations committee. In his current phase of retirement, Walter is redirecting his focus towards personal pursuits, including rediscovering his passion for programming and exploring the endless possibilities offered by modern technologies. As he embarks on this new chapter, Walter extends his well wishes to former colleagues, friends, and acquaintances, hoping for their continued success and, above all, good health. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Centre, Dubai. This is the much-awaited conference of the year as it brings together and celebrates the excellence of companies and people in the FinTech sector. Fin-Tech industry needed space for the smartest, innovative, inventive and ambitious people to connect and create, consequently FiNext Awards and Conference were started as a dedicated platform to serve the needs of the Fin-Tech industry in terms of interaction, innovation, networking and showcasing of the talent. Two days of celebration of people who have put their lives in innovating, transforming the way how people transact through technology. FiNext Awards acknowledge people who are bringing the future of finance through their persistent efforts. The conference strives to build a platform for startups, SMEs, key decision-makers, researchers, investors and people from the media to interact and garner meaningful alliances.

In his current role Viral is responsible for providing strategic recommendations to Senior Management of financial viability and evaluation of all decisions, building scenarios, driving governance agendas, operational excellence and recommending actions. Viral is a Chartered Accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Narsee Monjee College, Mumbai University. He is a finance business partner with proven capabilities in the domain of business planning, financial budgeting & forecasting including financial evaluation of all strategic decisions, building scenarios and recommending actions. Additionally, trusted advisor in governance, risk and compliance domain. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Centre, Dubai. This is the much-awaited conference of the year as it brings together and celebrates the excellence of companies and people in the FinTech sector. Fin-Tech industry needed space for the smartest, innovative, inventive and ambitious people to connect and create, consequently FiNext Awards and Conference were started as a dedicated platform to serve the needs of the Fin-Tech industry in terms of interaction, innovation, networking and showcasing of the talent. Two days of celebration of people who have put their lives in innovating, transforming the way how people transact through technology. FiNext Awards acknowledge people who are bringing the future of finance through their persistent efforts. The conference strives to build a platform for startups, SMEs, key decision-makers, researchers, investors and people from the media to interact and garner meaningful alliances.

Vikash Raj is the Head- Business Analytics and Process Engineering at IDFC Asset Management Company Ltd. His major responsibility in the current role is to run the business analytics platform and identify data led opportunities to accelerate business growth and create competitive advantage over peers in business. During his tenure at IDFC Asset Management Company Ltd, Vikash has also setup an award-winning BI platform and implemented a visit management platform for sales team (SalesGo) that has helped in improving the sales efficiency significantly. He has a significant contribution in running investor awareness programs in far-flung districts of India. He has managed and run pension business (May 09 – Oct 12) working closely with the government and private organizations to implement- New Pension Scheme launched by the Government of India under PFRDA. In his past stints, he has contributed in developing software products and recommendation engines for mutual fund analytics that are being used by mutual fund companies, large distribution houses, banks, and financial planners. He has an MBA in Finance degree from the Indian Institute of Finance -Delhi, and Business Analytics (Executive Program) from IIM Calcutta. Vikash is an author, researcher, and analyst with a demonstrated history of the entrepreneurial style of working with over 22 years of diverse work experience and expertise. His book ‘Business Analytics & Financial Planning’ was published by TV-18 Broadcast Limited., Bestsellers 18, has been widely appreciated amongst Financial planners and advisors in India. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at theLe Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre. This is the much-awaited conference of the year as it brings together and celebrates the excellence of companies and people in the FinTech sector. Fin-Tech industry needed space for the smartest, innovative, inventive and ambitious people to connect and create, consequently FiNext Awards and Conference were started as a dedicated platform to serve the needs of the Fin-Tech industry in terms of interaction, innovation, networking and showcasing of the talent. Two days of celebration of people who have put their lives in innovating, transforming the way how people transact through technology. FiNext Awards acknowledge people who are bringing the future of finance through their persistent efforts. The conference strives to build a platform for startups, SMEs, key decision-makers, researchers, investors and people from the media to interact and garner meaningful alliances.

Tushar Vartak is a seasoned professional with over twenty years of expertise in IT Risk Management and fraud prevention. His credentials include being a SABSA Chartered Security Architect, CISSP, CISM, ISO27001LA, CEH, and CITRA on OCTAVE and OCTAVE Allegro, as well as an Associate IOR. Tushar’s profile showcases him as a top voice in Risk Management. Currently associated with RAKBANK and having studied at the Welingkar Institute of Management, his professional journey spans across varied domains in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tushar is known for his adeptness in understanding core Information risk management principles and frameworks, making him a sought-after expert in selecting, deploying, and managing security solutions. He possesses a knack for tailoring information security controls to meet client requirements and excels in designing metrics to gauge the efficacy of these controls. An excellent communicator, he has honed exceptional relationship-building skills over the years. With a reputation for being detail-oriented, analytical, and possessing strong problem-solving abilities, Tushar stands out for his organizational acumen and flexibility in navigating complex challenges. His talent for fostering relationships at all levels of business and management underscores his exceptional relationship management skills. In essence, Tushar Vartak is a dynamic professional with a proven track record in IT Risk Management, characterized by a strong background in fraud prevention and information security. His wealth of experience, coupled with a deep understanding of industry frameworks and implementation strategies, distinguishes him as a valuable asset in the realm of Risk Management. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le Méridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre. This is the much-awaited conference of the year as it brings together and celebrates the excellence of companies and people in the FinTech sector. Fin-Tech industry needed space for the smartest, innovative, inventive and ambitious people to connect and create, consequently FiNext Awards and Conference were started as a dedicated platform to serve the needs of the Fin-Tech industry in terms of interaction, innovation, networking and showcasing of the talent. Two days of celebration of people who have put their lives in innovating, transforming the way how people transact through technology. FiNext Awards acknowledge people who are bringing the future of finance through their persistent efforts. The conference strives to build a platform for startups, SMEs, key decision-makers, researchers, investors and people from the media to interact and garner meaningful alliances.