FinTech Futures Jobs: 10 inspiring women leaders who are blazing a trail in tech
It’s fair to say that tech has a diversity problem, and the sector is still largely dominated by men.
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In fact, according to data compiled by The World Bank, women globally make up less than a third of the workforce in technology-related fields, and account for just 16% of those who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer or information sciences.
When it comes to securing leadership roles, a lack of mentorship continues to be one of the biggest challenges for 40% of female tech workers trying to shatter the glass ceiling.
The good news? Some of the most successful and profitable tech and fintech organisations around the world have women at their helm, as the 10 we’re profiling below prove. Even better, many of them are hiring via the Fintech Futures Job Board.
1. Mira Murati, CTO, OpenAI
It’s only been four months since OpenAI’s ground-breaking chatbot ChatGPT launched, but since then it has surpassed all expectations, raking in 100 million users in the first two months alone. Its chief technology officer, Mira Murati, joined the company in 2018 as VP of applied AI and partnerships, and has quickly ascended through the ranks.
2. Aicha Evans, CEO, Zoox
Self-driving car company Zoox was acquired by Amazon in 2020 for a reported $1.2 billion (£1 billion). Its CEO Aicha Evans joined Zoox in 2019 and led the acquisition. She was previously chief strategy officer at Intel Corporation, where she oversaw a global team of 7,000 engineers.
3. Victoria van Lennep, co-founder, Lendable
As co-founder of Lendable, an AI-powered consumer finance platform, van Lennep led one of the biggest funding rounds by a female-led start-up ever, securing £210 million in March 2022 at a valuation of £3.5 billion.
4. Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO
A founding member of Google, Wojcicki has been an advocate for the expansion of paid family leave, prioritising computer programming and coding in schools, and fostering an interest in computer science in girls. Having served as CEO of YouTube since February 2014, Wojcicki announced in February 2023 that she would be stepping down to focus on “family, health, and personal projects”, but would be taking on an advisory role across Google and its parent company Alphabet.
5. Anne Boden, CEO, Starling Bank
A computer scientist by trade, Boden started Starling Bank in 2014 after a 30-year career at some of the biggest financial institutions in the world. She has stated that she decided to launch the neobank to give customers a “fairer, smarter, and more human alternative to the banks of the past”. She was awarded an MBE for services to financial technology in 2018.
6. Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO, Girls Who Code
Since its inception in 2012, international non-profit Girls Who Code has taught computing skills to 40,000 girls across the US in an effort to close the gender gap in tech. Saujani is also the founder of Moms First, an organisation formed during the pandemic that advocates for reform around equal pay, paid parental leave, and affordable childcare.
7. Mariquit Corcoran, managing director, Independence Point Advisors
In her previous role as chief innovation officer at Barclays, Corcoran launched the Female Innovators Lab, a venture fund and studio focused on helping female entrepreneurs launch new companies in the UK, US and Europe. She recently joined woman-owned Independence Point Advisors (IPA) in New York as managing director, leading the Fintech Advisory and Venture Capital Coverage group. IPA is an investment bank and strategic advisory firm.
8. Linda Höglund, COO, Zimpler
Linda Höglund was appointed chief people officer at Swedish fintech Zimpler in 2021 and took on her current COO role in 2022. Heading up a newly created operations department, she is responsible for people and culture; diversity, equality, and inclusion (DE&I); corporate social responsibility (CSR); and organisational excellence. She has also previously held leadership roles at Klarna and EY.
9. Jane Fraser, CEO, Citigroup
British-American banking executive Jane Fraser currently holds the position of CEO of Citigroup. An advocate for flexible working, Fraser has been instrumental in implementing hybrid working models on Wall Street, including “Zoom-free Fridays”, and encouraging staff to not answer work calls or emails outside of traditional working hours.
10. Cristina Juneueria, co-founder, Nubank
Junqueira co-founded Brazil’s Nubank, the largest independent bank in the world, in 2013. Currently valued at $10 billion (Juneueria reportedly completed the company’s first round of investment while in labour with her first child), Nubank now has more than 25 million customers across Brazil and Mexico and is committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion—43% of its 2,700 employees are female, across all levels.
For hundreds more opportunities across fintech, visit the Fintech Futures Job Board today.
