London’s most influential CTOs in FinTech

As the world’s financial landscape evolves rapidly, FinTech has emerged as a major disruptor in the industry, and at the heart of this revolution are CTOs who are driving innovation, leading technological advancements, and shaping the future of financial services.

In the bustling city of London, which is a global financial hub, a dynamic group of CTOs are spearheading FinTech initiatives, revolutionising the way we bank, invest, and transact. Meet the visionary CTOs that are driving FinTech innovation and propelling London to the forefront of the global FinTech ecosystem. 

Ricardo Brízido
CTO and Co-Founder of Stake

Ricardo Brízido is the CTO and co-founder of Stake, a fintech company that provides a platform for buying and selling shares in US companies. As the CTO, Brízido is responsible for the company’s technology strategy and overseeing the development of its products and services.

Before co-founding Stake, Brízido worked as a software engineer and technical lead at several companies, including Ooyala and Atlassian. He has experience working with a range of technologies and has a strong background in cloud infrastructure and DevOps.

Brízido is passionate about using technology to make investing more accessible and democratised. Through Stake, he aims to give people around the world access to the US stock market and empower them to invest in companies they believe in.

Harsh Sinha
CTO of Wise

Harsh Sinha is the CTO and Board Director of Wise, a FinTech company that provides a borderless money transfer service. As the CTO, he is responsible for overseeing the company’s technological strategy and operations, ensuring the development of innovative products and services, and leading a team of talented engineers and developers. 

Prior to joining Wise, Harsh was an angel investor and advisor for tech startups and held various leadership positions at companies like Paypal and eBay. He is known for his expertise in building scalable and secure technology platforms, as well as his thought leadership in the field of fintech.

Anton Zagorskii
CTO at Lumio

Recognised as a Top 100 Fintech Disruptor, ahead of Monzo and Chip, with coverage from Forbes, Tech Nation and Sifted by FT, Lumio are empowering families to take control of their financial future and be proud of how they provide.

Zagorskii has extensive experience in the technology industry, particularly in software engineering and architecture. Prior to joining Lumio, was the Founder and CTO of Paytronix, where he participated in the startup accelerator program. During his time at Curve they scaled their team from 7 engineers to 70 and secured series A and series B fundraisings.

Zagorskii’s passionate about technology and enjoys working with cutting-edge tools and techniques to create innovative solutions. In his role at Lumio, he is focused on building a world-class technology team and developing products that provide customers with an exceptional user experience.

Matej Pfajfar
CTO at Monzo

Matej Pfajfar is the CTO at Monzo, UK-based digital bank. As the CTO, Pfajfar is responsible for overseeing the technology and engineering teams that develop and maintain the bank’s products and services.

Pfajfar joined Monzo in 2016 as a Backend Engineer and quickly rose through the ranks to become the company’s CTO in 2019. Prior to joining Monzo, Pfajfar worked at a number of other technology companies, including Google where he was Senior Engineering Director and Adacta where he started as a senior engineer and eventually became an Executive Director.

Pfajfar is known for his expertise in building highly scalable and reliable systems, and for his focus on creating a strong engineering culture that prioritises collaboration, learning, and innovation. Under his leadership, Monzo has continued to grow and expand its offerings, including launching a business banking service and expanding into the US market. 

Antonio Marino
CTO & Co-Founder at Emma

Antonio Marino is CTO and Co-Founder of Emma, a financial management app based in the UK. As CTO, he is responsible for leading the company’s technology strategy and overseeing the development of its products.

Before co-founding Emma, Marino worked in Software Engineering roles at Google and CERN. His expertise lie in building scalable and reliable systems that can handle large volumes of data. At Emma, he has played a key role in developing the company’s technology stack, which includes a combination of cloud-based services and in-house software. He has also led the development of Emma’s mobile app, which has received high ratings and reviews from users.

Marino’s technical expertise and leadership have been instrumental in the success of Emma as a leading financial management app.

Patrick Myles
CTO at Lendable

Patrick Myles is the CTO at Lendable, a London-based digital lending platform. Myles has extensive experience in software engineering and technology leadership. Before joining Lendable, he worked at several leading tech companies, including Facebook and Caplin SWystems, where he held various engineering and management positions.

At Lendable, Patrick has played a key role in developing and scaling the company’s lending platform. He has led the development of new features and products, including the company’s loan origination system, which uses machine learning algorithms to automate and streamline the loan application process.

Patrick is also passionate about fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within his team. He believes that a strong engineering culture is essential for building great products and delivering value to customers.

Patrick Myles is a highly experienced and skilled technology leader who is dedicated to driving innovation and growth at Lendable.

Sean Hederman
CTO at Zilch

Sean Hederman is CTO at Zilch, a London-based fintech startup that offers a “Buy Now Pay Later” service. As the CTO, Sean is responsible for overseeing the company’s technological development and ensuring that Zilch’s platform remains innovative, secure, and user-friendly.

Before joining Zilch, Sean held senior positions at several well-known companies in the tech industry, including Palantir, Direct Line Group and STANLIB. He has extensive experience in DevOps and Data and is considered a thought leader in the field of fintech.

Sean is known for his expertise in using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve complex problems. He has also been recognised for his contributions to open-source software. Sean’s deep knowledge of technology and his experience leading large-scale tech projects make him a valuable asset to Zilch as the company continues to grow and expand its offerings.

Guy Duncan
CTO at Tide

Guy Duncan is CTO at Tide, a UK-based digital banking platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Guy has over 20 years of experience in technology and has held several senior leadership positions in the industry. Before joining Tide, he served as the CTO at BMW Group and PayU. Prior to that, Guy held several leadership positions at bwin.party and Valtech.

At Tide, Guy’s focus is on building a scalable and secure technology infrastructure that can support the company’s growth and provide an exceptional customer experience. He is also responsible for driving innovation and identifying new opportunities to leverage technology to improve Tide’s services.

Guy’s extensive experience and expertise in technology make him an invaluable member of the Tide team, helping to drive the company’s success and growth in the competitive digital banking landscape.

Shahid Naveed
CTO at Freetrade

Shahid Naveed is CTO at Freetrade, a UK-based fintech company that provides a commission-free investment platform. As CTO, Shahid is responsible for overseeing the company’s technological strategy and ensuring that Freetrade’s technology infrastructure is robust, scalable, and secure. Before joining Freetrade, Shahid worked as the Vice President of Engineering for Auction Technology Group and held other leadership roles with the likes of Amazon, Immediate Media and Marks and Spencer. 

Shahid is known for his expertise in software engineering, particularly in the areas of distributed systems and cloud computing. He is passionate about building high-performance teams and promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. Under Shahid’s leadership, Freetrade has continued to expand its product offerings and enhance its platform’s user experience. The company has also raised significant funding and attracted a large and growing user base.