UK Fintech Envoy and chair of Innovate Finance has been appointed as chair of the board of directors for Stripe Payments UK Limited.
Stripe's presence in the UK is nearing a decade and Smith's appointment is well timed due, particularly because the company's customers now include some of the country’s largest organisations, such as Depop, Deliveroo, Hargreaves Lansdown, Frasers Group, the Natural History Museum and Church of England.
Smith was the first ever chief digital officer at Lloyd’s of London, and led efforts to transform the firm into an advanced digital insurance marketplace underpinned by data. She also spent over 15 years in retail banking roles at Royal Bank of Scotland - now NatWest - and Barclays, where she built digital services for consumers and businesses, and rolled out artificial intelligence and data technologies to deliver more efficient operations.
On the appointment, Smith said: “I’ve always been fascinated by the potential for tech infrastructure to help businesses adapt and grow. Stripe provides a platform for everyone from first-time founders to seasoned FTSE executives to build a more efficient, more profitable business. We are only scratching the surface of what’s possible in the digital economy and I look forward to supporting Stripe as it builds the infrastructure to unlock these opportunities."
Max Roberts, UK country lead, Stripe, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Louise to our UK board. From her work to help traditional enterprises adopt digital infrastructure, to her support for early stage fintechs and startups, Louise’s ethos and experience is very much aligned with Stripe’s."
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