Top 10 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) at Fintech Companies
Now more than ever, strong CFOs are worth their weight in gold. During these turbulent economic times, a solid financial foundation can prove to be the difference between a fintech being profitable or not. That’s why the 10 men and women on this list are so important, despite often missing out on the limelight.
We’ve compiled a list of the CFOs at 10 of the top fintech companies right now.
10. Alesia Haas (Coinbase)
Alesia Haas has been CFO at Coinbase since April 2018. She has a rich background in financial services, having held various senior roles at Sculptor Capital Management, an alternative asset manager; Merrill Lynch; and General Electric. She first earned her stripes as a CFO at California-based OneWest Bank (now CIT Bank), making the leap to the top financial job after six-and-a-half years as Head of Strategy. Like many companies, Coinbase is delicately navigating its way through the current economic predicament; speaking in February, Haas was clear that Coinbase would slim down its workforce this year if it proved necessary; the company had already laid off staff twice during 2022.
9. Kristina Campbell (Ripple)
Kristina Campbell is the LA-based CFO at crypto pioneer Ripple, a role she has held since April 2021. She has over 20 years of experience in finance operations and business strategy with a focus on fintech and payments. Previously, she was CFO at payments company PayNearMe and has held several roles at GreenDot – which is now a US$2.5bn publicly listed fintech – including General Manager of GoBank. She also has experience at management consulting firm Bain and as an investment banker for Citigroup.
8. Céline Dufétel (Checkout.com)
Céline Dufétel is the New York-based CFO of Checkout.com where she leads the company’s financial, treasury and strategy functions. Prior to joining Checkout, she was the COO and CFO of asset manager T. Rowe Price for three years, following spells at Neuberger Berman and McKinsey. A native of France, Dufétel was named in Barron’s list of the 100 most influential women in US finance in 2021 and was also included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 the year before. She holds a master's in applied mathematics and economics from École Polytechnique in Paris, and a master's in finance from Princeton.
7. Amrita Ahuja (Block)
Amrita Ahuja became CFO of Square (now Block) in January 2019, at which point Square founder and CEO Jack Dorsey called her an “amazing and multidimensional business leader”. Brought on board to help the company strengthen and discipline itself as it geared up to invest and scale, Ahuja was previously CFO at software developer Blizzard Entertainment, where she spent eight years in a number of finance and strategy roles. She previously worked for Fox, Disney and Morgan Stanley having received her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2007.
6. Matthew Newcomb (Chime)
Matthew Newcomb is the vastly experienced CFO of Chime, which, by rethinking banking services, has become one of the fastest growing fintech companies in the US. Unlike some CFOs, Newcomb understands the founder mentality. He was a Co-Founder of Bay Area-based startup DigiPuppets, a children's entertainment company that creates educational toys and apps for kids aged 3-6. For four years, he was also Vice President within BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory and Portfolio Analytics divisions, and had a brief stint in the UAE as an analyst for the oil and gas sector. He holds a master’s in business administration from the Wharton Business School and a BA in international relations from Brown University.
5. Guilherme Lago (Nubank)
Guilherme Lago is the São Paulo-based CFO at Brazilian challenger Nubank. He has held this position since February 2021, having previously been the company’s vice president of finance for almost two years. Prior to joining Nubank, Lago spent 13 years at banking giant Credit Suisse, including as managing director of its investment banking group, and also worked briefly at consulting company McKinsey. He holds a bachelor’s of science from the University of São Paulo and a master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
4. Sachin Mehra (Mastercard)
Sachin Mehra brings over 20 years of financial leadership to his role as CFO for Mastercard – a position he has held since April 2019. Mehra is responsible for all corporate finance functions including tax, internal audit, IR, M&As, risk management, financial planning and analysis, and financial strategy. With such an all-encompassing remit, it’s just as well that Mehra has a wealth of experience: prior to Mastercard, he held treasury and finance roles at Hess Corporation and General Motors. A graduate from the MBA programme at Darden Business School at the University of Virginia, he lives in Westchester County, New York with his wife and two children.
3. Vasant Prabhu (Visa)
The CFO of one of the world’s largest finance companies now: Vasant Prabhu has been CFO at Visa since February 2015, where he oversees the company’s financial strategies, planning and reporting as well as all of its IR functions. He has a background in the entertainment industry: before Visa, he served as CFO at NBCUniversal and previously spent a decade as CFO for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He also has experience in FMCG and retail after stints at Safeway and PepsiCo. Between 2007 and 2020, Prabhu served on the board at toy company Mattel. He is another of our CFOs who is set to leave their current employer: in February this year, Prabhu announced he would be leaving Visa by the end of September.
2. Robert Hau (Fiserv)
Bob Hau is Chief Financial Officer at Fiserv – one of the world’s largest fintechs by reach whose mission statement neatly sets out what it does on a daily basis: to move money and information in a way that moves the world. Hau has nearly 30 years’ experience in financial leadership roles, having worked at technology company TE Connectivity and within the aerospace division of Honeywell. Based in Milwaukee, he holds a master’s in business administration from the USC Marshall School of Business and a bachelor’s in business administration from Marquette University.
1. Michelle Clatterbuck (Intuit)
Michelle Clatterbuck’s long career at Intuit began two decades ago, in 2003, when she was appointed a finance manager within outsourced payroll, having held various financial management roles at General Electric. She has worked her way up the company to become the most senior finance officer at Intuit, which provides financial management solutions to SMEs and accountants. As CFO, Clatterbuck leads up all financial functions including treasury, procurement, investor relations and finance operations. After 20 years with the business, it’s understandable why Clatterbuck deems it the right time to pursue a change in direction; she intends to step down as CFO of Intuit in July.