Stephen Ingledew, chairman of FinTech Scotland, is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List for services to the UK fintech sector.
He is recognised for an ‘exceptional service to international trade, investment and exporting’ alongside other British ‘exporters, innovators and business leaders’.
As well as forming FinTech Scotland in 2018, Ingledew is a founder of the FinTech National Network which facilitates collaboration across all UK regional fintech clusters.
He also sits on the UK Government’s Business Innovation Forum and Scottish Government’s Innovation Steering Group. In addition, he is deputy convenor of the University of Strathclyde Court and non executive director of Smart Data Foundry.
In a career spanning four decades, Ingledew has also previously worked as senior executive for companies including Standard Life and Barclays.
The gong recognises Ingeldew’s efforts in making the ‘financial world more open, creative and inclusive through innovative initiatives and progressive ways of working’.
He said: “I am honoured to receive an OBE for services to financial technology. To be recognised for doing something I am passionate about is incredible. I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many people who have provided valuable support to me.
“It is a huge privilege to be at the heart of financial innovation, shaping the future economy and breaking down barriers and division across the UK, especially with new initiatives such as the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology and Innovation Accelerators.”
Fintech in Scotland
Scotland is home to more than 140 fintech companies. FinTech Scotland is an independent non-profit cluster body jointly established with the financial services sector, universities and Scottish Enterprise. In August 2022, FinTech Scotland picked up the silver label for Cluster Management Excellence by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA).
In 2022, the body also published the UK’s first Research and Innovation Roadmap as well as hosting the UK
FinTech Symposium bringing togther the broader innovation ecosystem to foster collaboration.
It also boasts that growth in Scottish financial services recently outstripped London. There are 161,000 people working in financial and related professional services in the country.
Also honoured
Alison Rose, CEO at NatWest, is now a dame. The first woman to head a major UK bank received the honour for her services to the financial services sector.
Mali Fernando, head of digital experience and accessibility at HSBC, has received an OBE. He received recognition for services to digital accessibility in banking.
Catherine McGuinness, a City of London councillor and recently chair of its policy and resources committee, gets a CBE.
