SAMANTHA SEATON , CEO OF MONEYHUB
OFF THE BOOKS
SAMANTHA SEATON , CEO OF MONEYHUB
We ’ re delighted to be joined by Samantha Seaton , CEO of Moneyhub , a distinguished executive renowned for her fervour for FinTech and illustrious career , for an exclusive interview .
Could you share some key moments or experiences that shaped your career path in FinTech ?
My career has been very varied , but a common theme has been my interest in technology and how it can improve financial wellbeing . I started off studying computer science at university in Australia , where I ’ m from , and began my career at Telstra as a graduate developer . My equestrian career and Olympic ambitions brought me to the UK , which is a discussion for another day !
I joined Towers Perrin ( now Willis Towers Watson ) when the Internet and dot . com boom created a transformational time for businesses and their clients . I then moved to Tillinghast ’ s institutional financial services , which was the beginning of my financial services and FinTech career . From there I became CEO of financial forecasting firm eValue , and then Managing Director of Momentum ’ s UK Retail Investing .
Your passion for harnessing technology to solve real-life problems is evident . What specific aspects of FinTech drew you in initially , and how have they influenced your work at Moneyhub ?
I ’ ve always been interested in technology and how when deployed well , it can be used to improve the financial wellness of people , their communities and business .
It was at Momentum that I met and fell in love with Moneyhub and saw the power it had to put the ownership of people ’ s data back into their hands and allow them to see their financial world in one place and the benefits this gave them . At the time , Moneyhub was a huge upgrade on the accounts I could connect with my ‘ Egg ’ credit card !
I knew we could propel Moneyhub and the technology it held far , and we conducted an MBO of Moneyhub in February 2018 taking the platform to market as part of our vision to improve financial wellness , the purpose that has inspired my whole FinTech career .
Being named as one of the founding members of the new pensions dashboard coalition is a significant achievement . How do you envision this initiative transforming the retirement planning landscape ?
As an industry we urgently need to collaborate to launch commercial pensions dashboards for consumers as soon as possible . Working with the FCA , PDP and the Dashboard Operators Coalition will be instrumental in bringing an open and collaborative environment to commercial pensions dashboards , and in doing so , help millions of consumers achieve a healthier financial future .
International evidence strongly shows that consumers prefer to see all their pensions in a familiar , trusted app they already use , such as a banking , pension or money management app .
Through Open Finance , these apps also enable connections to users ’ other finances , showing consumers the broader context of their financial position as it develops over their lifetime .
Diversity and inclusion are core values you champion in the FinTech sector . How do you believe fostering diversity within teams enhances innovation and drives better outcomes ?
Having a diverse range of voices in our business is incredibly important to myself and the team in our quest to build a product that works for everyone . Without the right representation , we risk not having all the voices , insight and capabilities that produce the best outcomes for everyone . Integral to this is people of all backgrounds believing that roles in the FinTech sector are for them . Otherwise , we miss out on a stream of untapped talent .
To give examples of what we do at Moneyhub , we have implemented a
60 www . intelligentfin . tech