Chris Gledhill
Top global FinTech Influencer, Technologist and Digital Nomad, Chris is on a mission to reinvent banking. Former lead of disruptive innovation labs at Lloyds Banking Group, Chris is now CEO and co-founder of reputational-economic startup Secco. Chris regularly speaks and blogs about financial services and is considered a thought leader in FinTech. Chris is passionate about disruptive technologies such as Digital Currencies, Blockchain, AI, Biometrics, Internet of Things, Big Data & APIs, Chris lives in South-London with his wife and 2 children.
How did you get to become an expert in fintech?
I’ve always been involved in Tech, I studied Computer Science at Uni and was a Technology Consultant at Accenture for many years across multiple industries including banking but I guess the Fin bit properly started in 2012 when I was working as Mobile Architect for Lloyds Banking Group in London. It was an exciting time in banking as mobile moved from novelty to primary customer touchpoint.
I started an Innovation role looking increasingly at the future of Financial Services and spent time out in Silicon Valley immersed in the budding FinTech ecosystem out there. I did extensive research, built a huge network and founded an innovation lab specifically focussed on disruptive innovation in financial services. Throughout the journey I found social media to be a valuable online tool and I rapidly progressed from content consumer to content curator to content creator and with it my social media following in FinTech grew. Offline I travelled the world speaking at FinTech events and collaborating on FinTech initiatives.
What areas of fintech are you most passionate about?
- The future of money – The evolution of currency as it changes form, definition and value. Current trends in crypto currencies are clumsy early indications of a much bigger movement around the democratisation of value definition.
- The future of banks – The ongoing role of banks going forward as value shifts away from Fiat money, particularly around custodians of data and identity and social media integration.
- Societal impact of the changing financial landscape – The Privacy, Security & Social implications of upending 2000 years of economics, most pressing being the impact on civil liberties of the cashless movement.
Which fintech influencers influence you?
FinTech can be a bit of an echo chamber sometimes so I seek out those with something new to add such as…
- Vitalik Buterin – Doing original things and pushing boundaries
- David Birch – Thinking original thoughts on future of money
- Devie Mohan – Producing original research
- Johnny Spragg – Hosting original conferences
- Anna Irrera – Reliable and original FinTech news reporting
- Kate Bolton & Ghela Boskovich – Championing #CommsforGood and #FemTech causes respectively
Outside of fintech who else influences you?
- Dilbert – Never gets old and reminds me of my corporate days
- Elon Musk – Archetype Crazy billionaire genius
- Banksy – Good social commentary via art
- Frederick Forsyth – Favourite author
- Lilly Singh – Archetype millennial vlogger
Which brands or products stand out for you in fintech?
- Incumbent Banks: Barclays, DBS
- Challenger Banks: Monzo, N26, Starling
- Publications: The Financial Brand, FT, Telegraph, Techcrunch
- Regulators: The FCA
- Other FinTechs: TransferWise, Nutmeg, Cabbage, Currency Cloud
- Industry Tech Disrupters: Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Starbucks
If a brand wanted to work with you, what offline / online activities would you be most interested in?
- Influencer Marketing
- Speaking Opportunities
- Podcasts/Webinars/Vlogs
- Research Contributions
- Guest Lecturing
- FinTech Consultancy & Services
- Ideas as a Service (IaaS)
What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?
You can email me on chris@seccoaura.com, drop me a message via Twitter or on LinkedIn
