We enjoyed Fintech as a Force for Good on 5 October, our first one as an Innovate Finance Member – not least because Jon Wedge was among the panellists!
The annual forum’s theme was The Power of FinTech: Creating a More Sustainable and Inclusive World for All. It set out, in Innovate Finance’s words, to ‘explore fintech’s expanding role in supporting consumers through the current economic uncertainty as well as FinTech’s ability to help drive forward the wider ESG [environmental, social and governance] agenda, while examining how we can ensure our companies scale responsibility.’
Jon brought his experience as our Head of Fintech, a BKL Board member and a B Corp business leader. He took part in the panel discussion Staying True to Your Roots: Scaling with Purpose. He and the other panellists discussed how to balance the demand for growth and profitability with our commitment to clients.
Thank you to Innovate Finance for the opportunity, to everyone we met at Fintech as a Force for Good and to Jon’s fellow panellists:
- Shân Millie, Founder, Bright Blue Hare
- Nick Aldridge, CEO, PayPal Giving Fund
- Nitish Kulkarni, Financial Services Practice Lead, UK & Europe, WNS
- Sharon Miles, COO, OakNorth Bank
Insights from Jon included:
“Customers and people are always the biggest asset. You need to match quantitative data with qualitative.
Thinking about our growth phase, now 250 plus. Being one of the biggest employers in the local community.
We donate a percentage of our profits to a foundation.
We became a B Corp last year, it’s not easy – lots of work on the back-end to get to this stage. Our roots are evolving, including lots of initiatives on being carbon neutral – co-creation, including a shadow board which brings experts internally to support this journey.
Fintechs have the potential to make an impact on people, if you don’t concentrate on purpose – you’ll struggle to attract customers and retain staff.”
If you’re a fintech or financial services business and keen to explore purpose-driven growth, including B Corp certification, Jon and the team would be happy to chat with you. Please get in touch with Jon directly or use our enquiry form.