• Swindon & Wiltshire Appointments
• Thursday June 23 2022
• Author Name: Peter Davison

FinTech West appoints knowledge exchange fellow

FinTech West, the professional network supporting Bristol, Bath and the Southwest to become a FinTech superpower, has appointed Jonathan Beaverstock, professor of international management at the University of Bristol, as knowledge exchange fellow.

The fellowship role has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to facilitate knowledge exchange between academia and industry leaders in the FinTech cluster.

Having been involved with the FinTech West advisory board since its inception, Jonathan will provide thought leadership and lead the Learning from London project designed to take lessons from FinTech excellence in the capital to accelerate cluster growth as a centre of excellence in the Southwest.

The body says announcement comes at a pivotal time, as research suggests an overwhelming desire of many involved in FinTech in the region to work together to resolve key societal challenges being faced; for example, using technology to overcome digital and financial exclusion, which is being exacerbated as living costs continue to rise. This perfectly aligns with the regions already established specialisms of wealth tech and tech for good.

FinTech West is fully committed to promoting the use of tech as a source for good, focusing on financial inclusion in its most recent event, “Consumer Duty” which looked at how FinTech can help support vulnerable customers.

Commenting on his appointment Jonathan said: “Bringing knowledge and interest in the role of clusters and FinTech, I’m looking forward to this role and contributing to FinTech clustering, innovation and thinking to fuel growth in the South West post-pandemic.

“Economic challenges will continue and the role of fintech innovators focused on closing the gaps in digital and tech access will be crucial to help benefit all of Bristol and Bath’s communities”.

Founding director of FinTech West and associate director at Whitecap Consulting, Stuart Harrison, adds: “It’s time to take FinTech and the impact it can have on society to the next level. There’s lots of discussion about levelling up and the FinTech West community is in a strong position to lead on innovations to drive digital and financial inclusion, initiatives that can be taken and replicated across the country.

“Securing Jon’s skills brings fresh perspective, expertise, and connections to our team. We’re excited to see what the next chapter of our growth journey will bring.”

The work of FinTech West has already begun to gain regional recognition. Earlier in June it received Highly Commended in the Financial category of the Bristol Life Awards, coming second only to FTSE 100 company, Hargreaves Lansdown.