Simon Paris: Steering Finastra's Open Finance Revolution
Simon Paris, CEO of Finastra, has been at the helm of one of the world's largest fintech companies since June 2018.
Simon's career began at McKinsey & Company, where he honed his skills as a senior consultant. His expertise in corporate strategy was evident in his work on major projects, including Latin American IPOs for a telecommunications giant and a cross-border consumer goods merger in the EMEA region.
After his stint at McKinsey, Simon held various leadership positions at Infor Global Solutions, culminating in the role of VP, EMEA Global Accounts. This period saw him progress through roles such as VP EMEA Global Accounts at SSA Global and EVP Global Accounts at Baan.
Simon's career took another leap forward when he joined SAP in 2007. Over the next eight years, he held several high-profile positions within the company, showcasing his ability to lead and innovate in the technology sector.
His roles included VP of Large Enterprise Accounts for South Europe and EMEA, SVP and Managing Director for EMEA Emerging Markets, EVP and Global Head of Banking and finally, President of Industry Cloud.
Leading Finastra into the digital age
In June 2015, Simon joined Finastra (then known as Misys) as President and Chief Sales Officer. His exceptional leadership and strategic vision led to rapid promotions within the company.
He became President in June 2016, followed by Deputy CEO in June 2017, before assuming the role of CEO in June 2018.
Under Simon's leadership, Finastra has made significant strides in the fintech industry. He has steered the company towards realising its vision for open finance, encouraging industry-wide collaboration to spark innovation and transform financial services.
“We are changing the way in which financial software is developed, deployed and consumed in financial services,” Simon says. “The opportunity ahead is huge, and with our board's support, I'm looking forward to taking our employees, our customers and our partners on this journey,” he added upon his appointment as CEO, as reported by The Asian Banker.
Simon's commitment to open finance is evident in Finastra's launch and development of FusionFabric.cloud, an open platform for innovation that has become a leading force in the industry since its introduction in 2017.
This platform embodies Simon's vision of a more collaborative and innovative financial services sector.
A focus on DE&I
Beyond his role at Finastra, Simon chairs the World Trade Board, an organisation that brings together global leaders, innovative thinkers and industry influencers from various corners of trade, finance and commerce.
Simon is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. His efforts in this area have been recognised, with Finastra winning the Vista CEO Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG).
The impact of Simon's leadership extends beyond Finastra. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Thomson Reuters, bringing his extensive experience in financial technology to one of the world's leading information services companies.
Simon's vision for the future of financial services is clear and ambitious. He believes that the industry is moving towards a more open and collaborative model, driven by technological innovation and changing customer expectations.
“The future of finance is open,” Simon asserts. “Open technology, open APIs, open standards, open ecosystems, open banking – any of us would be hard-pressed to think of one of today's most successful organisations that isn't 'open' in some way,” he stated in an interview with Trade Finance Global.
This vision is not just about technology, but about creating a more inclusive and accessible financial system. Simon is passionate about how technology and open trade can drive financial inclusion and improve people's lives. His leadership at Finastra is focused on leveraging the company's technology and global reach to make a positive impact on society.
Under Simon's stewardship, Finastra has received multiple awards, and Simon himself has been consistently recognised as a top CEO, featuring in Bank Innovation's 'Innovators to Watch' list in 2018 and being named a top 50 CEO by the Financial Technology Report annually since 2020.
Today, Simon is driving Finastra towards a future where finance is more open, collaborative and inclusive than ever before.
“Finastra is in a unique position in the Fintech industry,” Simon stated upon his appointment as CEO. “We are changing how financial software is developed, deployed and consumed in financial services and I couldn't be more honoured to have been chosen to lead the company through the next stage of this incredible transformation.”
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