Name: Meirav Harel
Title: Founder & CEO at MHfintechs
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Chosen for “100 most inspirational women in Blockchain” 2020, chosen twice for “Women in Fintech Powerlist” by Innovative Finance UK, With 20+ years of expertise in Finance, Technology, and building award winning Fintech Innovation, Meirav Harel is a globally known FinTech, Blockchain, Digital Disruption, Future of Finance, Investment & Trading Interfaces expert.
Name: Marene Arnold
Title: Vice President Marketing & Communications DACH at Mastercard
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Marene has a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and started her Marketing career at a Licensing agency in the Netherlands. She started as a brand manager for films and tv-series and ended up heading the Marketing department.
This was followed by a 6 year stint as Head of Marketing Benelux at Dyson. After a 4 month sabbatical, in which she backpacked around South America and cycled through France, she switched industries yet again in 2011. She moved from Consumer Electronics to Payment Technology, and never looked back!
She started as Director of Marketing & Communications at Mastercard Netherlands, and since April 2022 she is Vice President Marketing & Communications DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) at Mastercard. Mastercard is a global payments technology company that believes in doing well by doing good. The company’s mission is to build a sustainable digital economy where everyone prospers.
Name: Maja Fočić
Title: Project Manager | monri.com
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: As an experienced Project Manager with a history of working in the financial services industries, Maja is a key link between the business and technical delivery teams. In Monri Payments, she is responsible for overseeing and managing IT and payment-related projects. Currently, Maja is leading several projects to improve payment systems on SinglePOS devices and the WebPay solution for online payments, which include expansion to other EU countries. Her previous work experience from both Privredna banka Zagreb and Raiffeisenbank Hrvatska serves as a strong foundation for a professional development focusing on implementing new payment solutions, products and redesigning processes. Maja’s ability to never lose the big picture out of mind while focusing on the smallest detail in her project and her ability to relay that connection to her associates, make her a a successful Project Manager and a valuable speaker and panelist at business conferences.
Name: Liesl Bebb-McKay
Title: Director BBD & Founder TribeL
Pronouns: She/Her, Ms
Bio: Liesl is an innovator and an activator. Her passion for building business & creating sustainable change inspired her to create TribeL Consulting, a niche leadership consultancy which led to her long-standing partnership with BBD Software, where she is a director for the Netherlands business and leads their strategy and business development efforts in the Benelux. As a Board member and start-up mentor, she is able to deliver on her passion for innovation as a driver for success. Prior to moving to Belgium & founding TribeL, she was the Head of Rand Merchant Bank’s FOUNDeRY – the Investment Bank’s disruptive technology initiative focusing on cutting edge innovation.
Name: Laura Rofe
Title: Director | Client Executive EY
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Laura has a wealth of experience within the Finance and Payments sectors and this spans over 13 years in both the Australian, UK and EU markets. Her roles typically focus on partnerships and account management, where she is responsible for strategic growth and overall portfolio management. Laura is now working as a Director of Partner Management at PPRO; a provider of local payments infrastructure, powering global growth for payment companies.
In line with her commitment to professional and personal success, Laura has completed an Executive MBA and also has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Marketing.
Another passion of Laura’s is around dedicating time to educating, celebrating the wins and walking the talk when it comes to gender equality. She is an advocate for female empowerment and supports this through a number of initiatives on both a personal and professional level. This is reflected in her role on a number of programmes where she mentors young women. Further to this, Laura has also been appointed as a Trustee on the Women’s Advisory Board for UK Charity, Sculpt UK.
On a personal note, Laura enjoys keeping active outdoors and is also well known for her enthusiastic and positive zest for life.
Name: Jolien Demeyer
Title: Founder Jelloow
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Jolien has over 15 years of experience in marketing strategy and management of complex international projects. She has been grateful to have lived and worked in Europe, North America & South Africa. Published her own book: Think Big, Scale Fast.
I consider myself a cross-functional healthy, transparent team leader. Never fear to achieve challenges in digital, SaaS or challenging economic scenarios.
My journey has developed my management skills and therefore started my two companies. Marketing Scaleurs, where we help fast growing businesses build scalable systems that delver strong unit economics. And Jelloow, where we help brands prioritise projects & select their marketing agency partners.
Name: Işıl Uysal Calvelli
Title: Co-Founder, Coach & Trainer at BeCoach Academy
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Işıl Uysal Calvelli is a professional coach, author of the book The Gift of Being Unfulfilled at Work, Co-Founder of BeCoach Academy, and host of Unique Careers, Unique Lives podcast.
Bio long: Işıl Uysal Calvelli is a writer, professional coach, and speaker. She is the author of “The Gift of Being Unfulfilled at Work”, co-founder of BeCoach Academy, and host of the Unique Careers, Unique Lives podcast.
She thinks, writes, and speaks about the topic of work as it had been a source of personal suffering but also an amazing catalyst of her becoming. She holds a PCC credential from International Coaching Federation and she is also a certified meditation teacher. Born and raised in Turkey, Işıl currently resides in Munich, Germany.
Name: Christian Eichbauer
Title: Sen. Head of Communication and Development
Pronouns: He/Him
Bio: Formerly a copywriter in Hamburg and Düsseldorf, Christian Eichbauer has been involved since 2010 in making the sustainable GLS Bank the best-known and most popular bank in Germany. He studied marketing communication in Germany and England and was already working in an international network advertising agency during his studies. Christian Eichbauer is 46 years old, has two children and lives with his family in Cologne.
Name: Biljana Donovska-Gecheva
Title: Senior Advisor National Bank of the RNM
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: A payments regulation expert with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the payments regulatory landscape and current role providing compliance advice to significant established and start-up fintech companies.
20+ years in Payments and Cards technology. Experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the finance and payment industry. Also recognized as seasoned Fintech expert who has 20 years’ experience and deep understanding of modern payment infrastructure, trends, and technologies (P2P payments, e-money, wallets and etc.), strong grasp of the legal framework regulating FinTech industries in non-EU European countries in Balkan region.
Specialties: Card scheme, Payment Systems & Technologies, Business Growth & Development, Market Analysis & Competitive Position, Global Team Leadership, Fintech, Product & Technology Management, Strategic & Operational Planning, Branding & Recognition, Contract Negotiations, Product Development & Launch.
Name: Hannalie Marsh
Title: Managing Director at Swamp and Savanna
Pronouns: She/Her
Bio: Hannalie is a highly motivated, human-centered business leader with extensive experience in the payments industry. Her strength lies in her ability to bridge the worlds of technology and human experience, connecting stakeholders in ways that add value and deliver results.