FinTech's DEI Discussions · 2026-07-16 · 22 min
What does the future of payments look like, and who is building it? In this episode of FinTech's DEI Discussions, Nadia Edwards-Dashti sits down with Sumaiyah Ali Qadri, Founder of Zentra, to discuss payment resilience, intelligent infrastructure and the future of financial services. Drawing on leadership experience at Amazon, Monzo and Barclays, Sumaiyah shares the inspiration behind Zentra, the realities of fundraising as a solo founder, and why empathy, sponsorship and inclusive leadership are essential to building stronger FinTech businesses. A thought-provoking conversation on payments, innovation, leadership and creating a more resilient financial ecosystem. FinTech's DEI Discussions is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Technology Recruitment. For more episodes or recruitment advice, please visit our website
The Hidden Career Currency That Shapes Who Gets Ahead in Financial Services | Janet Pope, DCMS Audit & Risk Chair. Chair CAF Bank. RemCo Chair, Environment & Social Purpose Chair at Yorkshire Building Society82 / 100The Talent Hidden in Plain Sight | Cia Kouparitsas, CEO at Greenbeam60 / 100How Do You Scale Without Losing Your Culture? | Emma Hagan, UK Chief Executive Officer at ClearBankEWPN The New Frontier: Human Centric AI in the Future of Finance and Payments | Melanie Ockerse, Ruta Kairyte and Nilixa DevlukiaWhy Smart Data Needs a Human Purpose | Heather Xiao, Founder and Lead at Horizon Zero Ltd