Archives: team-member

Benjamin Choo is the Chief Executive Officer of Assetfort Capital Private Limited, an Independent Asset Management firm headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also holds the position of Senior VP (South East Asia) of Assetfort Holdings Limited. Assetfort provides advisory and discretionary mandates to high net worth individuals, family offices and institutions. As a Chartered Banker, Ben has over 15 years of experience in the financial services sector, specializing in Wealth Management. Ben’s last position was with Thirdrock Capital as Director, Client Advisor. He also held positions in Citibank Singapore from 2004 to 2018, most recently as Executive Director in the International Personal Bank. Ben graduated from the Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of Computer Engineering (Hons) and holds an International Diploma in Governance, Risk, and Compliance. He is also a member of the Singapore Management University – PAVD Round A Investor (RAIN) club. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Balkrishna is a result-oriented finance professional having over 10+ years of experience in core accounts and finance domains spread across varied sectors such as Retail, FMCG, Trading & distributions, BPO, Manufacturing, and Shared Services. He has handled mid to senior-level positions circled around  Finance Business Partnering, Financial Planning & Analysis and Financial Controllership. He positions himself as a data-driven decision-maker with a doable approach that has yielded his various accolades and recognition. He has led several million-dollar projects related to advanced ERP and BI tools implementations and has been instrumental in change management programs targeted to achieve strategic goals. He has a keen interest in learning and implementing advanced technologies such as RPA, AI, Big Data analytics and mobile apps development. Recently, he developed three  mobile apps that are live and  being used in MNCs. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Balaji Ramaswami is the Managing Director of EMPO Technologies DMCC, a Dubai-based Tax Technology company and a Co-Founder of Emtax, GCC’s first home-grown SAAS solution for VAT Automation. As Co-Founder of Emtax, he has been focusing on building a pioneering cloud-based software platform that provides an end-to-end suite of tax compliance solutions for the MSME segments. With over 3 decades of work experience across multiple global and regional corporates in India and the GCC region, he is an experienced Finance Professional with expertise in fin-tech solutions to address operational challenges in regulatory compliance. Before embarking upon his entrepreneurial journey, he served in senior positions in various financial services organizations across India and Oman with a focus on Risk Management and Remediation. He is also a Council Member of Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) Councils, a network of industry practitioners and other professionals worldwide. Balaji is qualified in Risk Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Madras and is an Associate Member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. EMTAX, (www.emtaxtech.com) is a scalable and efficient SaaS solution for effective VAT compliance in the GCC region. It’s innovative, out-of-the-box features enable businesses to fulfill their tax compliance obligations in a timely and correct manner using the power of technology. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Ayman Al Banani is the Co-Founder and COO of Banani Inc. Banani Inc is a PropTech company that provides a platform to list property for leasing, managing the property , affiliating tenants and for users to view the property online. The platform helps bridge the gap between tenant and landlord.It does so by means of powerful features and modules whose primary intent is to increase the value and ROI of existing and new properties for their respective owners and decrease operating costs. Ayman began his career in sales and marketing in Real-estate at ‘Orientals for Urban Development’, Cairo – Egypt. Later he moved to Banking , where he started as a Loan Officer at a branch – retail department and scaled up to Assistant General Manager-Corporate Banking Group at Gulf Bank – Kuwait. With 17 years of great banking success and experience, he developed an application that regulated the local real-estate market, the only one stop platform that bridges the gap between a Landlord and a tenant & assists in managing the real-estate portfolio. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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

Arsen is the Advisor to CEO, RAO Mars CJSC/Sirtonics Armenia. He is an affiliate member of the Institute of Consulting, UK. Arsen carried out various projects, which are mostly related to different Business Consultancy assignments and investment plans development for the international industry and commercial sector. During the past 10 years, he is acting as a Business Advisor (Financial Markets & Foreign Investment procurement) contracted for more than 7 local and foreign Companies/Individuals, serving as a Consultant. He has the experience of 12+ years of executive management in the area of business education and training. He has taken part in or coordinated more than 30 local and international projects. Amongst many noteworthy roles, Arsen has also served as the Counselor, Advisor to C.E.O., RAO Mars CJSC/Sirtonics Armenia, acting C.O.O. of first Armenian Free Economic Zone “Alliance”, Deputy Director & Senior Expert at Arlian Consulting & Training LLC and Acting Provost, Director, Technologies & Business Development in Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University. “FinTech is more than a regular award to add another plate on the wall, it’s a source of real pride and honor out of being part of it.”, said Arsen. Arsen was honored at the FiNext Awards and Conference award ceremony at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre. This was the Fourth Edition of FiNext Awards & Conference, held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre. This much-awaited conference of the year brought together and celebrated 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

About Angela Angela Shi is the Chief Financial Officer of Plus500AU Pty Ltd. She has a degree of Master of Professional Accounting and Master of Commerce majoring in Marketing from The University of Sydney. Plus500 is a leading provider of Contracts for Difference (CFD’s), delivering trading facilities on cryptocurrencies, shares, forex, commodities, ETFs, options and indices, alongside innovative trading technology. It is listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange. Plus500AU is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plus500 located in Sydney, Australia. As an experienced Financial Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry, she has strong skills in FX hedging, Excel models, internal controls, financial reporting, and financial modeling. Her current responsibilities cover planning, implementation, managing and running of all the finance activities of a company, including financial audit, budgeting, forecasting, and regulatory reporting. Angela has held various positions and roles in the company. She used to be the Financial Controller and China Business Adviser before being promoted as CFO. Angela is an advocate for women in leadership, she supports gender equality in the workplace and promotes the initiatives that reduce the gender imbalance and gap. She is also actively involved in the research of Blockchain and AI technology and she believes these will be the key forces that drive the fintech revolution and change the fintech ecosystem. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Amer is a Young Entrepreneur and a Board Member – Director at the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants). He is also the CEO of ITSS (IT Smart Solutions) and Vertix Property Management. Amer is a professional Auditor at the UAE Federal Government and a member of Accountants & Auditors Association of UAE holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from United Arab Emirates University. He also holds some professional certifications as the CMA (Certified Managerial Accountant, IMA-USA), CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner, AFCE-USA), IBM Data Scientist Certified. Amer registered a patent at Dubai Copy-Right Office, the patent is in the field of restaurants and is expected to change the future of In Dining and food Ordering. ITSS is a startup company in the field of innovative systems. They are in the final stage to launch their first App in the market that will change the field of Dining and food ordering systems. ITSS is also a Khalifa Fund Member. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Alexander Wiener-Fererhofer is the head of corporate customer business services & Director VKB Bank Wels in Austria. He is a certified financial specialist with a doctor degree in corporate finance (Johannes-Kepler-University Linz – Austria). In his current role, Alexander is an expert in corporate finance structures with a proven track record in establishing business relationships and negotiating with important stake- and shareholders. After a successful team building process (approx. 15 employees) by the lead of Alexander the brand VKB Bank has been able now to meet the demands of their customers. With profound knowledge in analyzing KPI-key figures, he also has a significant contribution to an efficient target achievement (KPI indicators). Before VKB Bank Alexander was a Senior Analyst at Ernst & Young, Vienna where his role was built around the valuation and business modeling of large corporations in any business life cycle. He was also the Deputy Director at Landeshypothekenbank Salzburg where he had been responsible for corporates clients to achieve their financials goal This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Akshaya Naronikar is focused on the future of financial services, where clients are at the forefront of every decision and partnerships are built on a foundation of trust and integrity. She is the founder and CEO of Iridium Private, award-winning bespoke financial solutions and ‘Growth Capital’ provider to fast-growing companies and High-Income Individuals. Her vision challenges the conventional private banking experience by addressing the individual needs of her clients with integrity and discretion. Akshaya’s international career began as a private banker to the affluent innovators of Silicon Valley, but she thrived as a trusted advisor to High Net Worth clients across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During her time in Dubai at the Royal Bank of Scotland, she recognized the evolving needs of clients require a financial advisor who is bank-agnostic and driven by possibility. Akshaya’s entrepreneurial spirit was further fueled at Investec Bank Australia, where she was a key contributor to the growth of the Private client business. Her expertise in client acquisitions, structured debt, and the derivative was developed by advising international investment houses and private banks across multiple continents. Armed with an MBA in Financial Services, she has a relentless drive while advocating for her clients. When she’s not fighting the good fight, Akshaya can be found reading a good book and sipping coffee in a Melbourne cafe in Australia―where she lives with her family. This FiNext Awards & Conference is to be held on the 26th and 27th of February at the Le 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.

Ahmed is currently leading the finance and strategy of a top-tier non-bank financial institution in Saudi Arabia. His experience, especially as Chief Financial Officer and Strategy Director in the NBFIs sector, spans a wide array of diverse projects in which he has been involved. He is a results-oriented leader with a demonstrated track record of several successful projects and had played a pivotal role in formulating business strategies, introducing new products, and managing financial performance over the past 15 years. Ahmed holds an MBA from The University of Manchester, UK. He also completed several executive education programs at top ranked business schools such as INSEAD, Imperial College, and Cambridge Judge Business School.