This Women’s History Month, we are proud to spotlight the women leaders at our member companies who are shaping the future of finance. Through innovation, leadership, and a commitment to expanding financial access for all, these trailblazers are driving solutions that empower consumers, startups, and small businesses to take control of their financial well-being.
Learn from their insights in the Q&As below as we celebrate their achievements and contributions to a more inclusive and dynamic financial services ecosystem.
Amy Loh is a marketing leader with over 15 years of experience driving business growth through integrated strategies and customer-centric programs. She leads the Marketing and PR team at Pipe and previously held marketing leadership roles at Square. With expertise in channel and product marketing, she builds high-impact campaigns, fosters innovation, and empowers small businesses.
What inspired you to pursue a career in fintech, and what keeps you motivated? I didn’t always plan to work in fintech – what really mattered to me was finding a role where I felt connected to the mission— somewhere that could make a tangible impact on people’s lives. I was lucky to find myself at Square, a company that had a mission I could really get behind: empowering small businesses. I spent 8.5 amazing years there, helping small business owners access tools that would help them grow and be more successful. When I was looking for my next opportunity, I came across Pipe and was so excited to continue the work to support small businesses. At Pipe, our mission is to empower financial freedom for business owners, and to bring them access to capital and financial tools they didn’t have before. In order to stay motivated, find something you connect to so that you’ll be excited to wake up and go to work every day.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you wish you had known earlier? If there’s one key lesson I’ve learned in my career – it’s that you should speak up for what you want. Earlier on in my career, I stayed quiet about my goals and ambitions. I thought that if I just worked hard enough, someone would notice and offer me the right opportunities. But here’s the reality: No one is going to give you what you want unless you’re vocal about it. And that means being clear about what you want—whether it’s learning a new skill, a different role, or wanting a promotion. Sharing this proactively puts you in charge of your career. And if you work with a great manager or team, they will work with you on a plan to get there – even if it’s not getting you what you want at the moment.
How do you approach leadership and mentorship for other women in the industry? My approach to leadership and mentorship for women in the industry is all about creating an environment where we can encourage each other to speak up, take on new challenges, and celebrate each other’s successes. It’s not just about providing guidance, but also about making sure that every woman feels comfortable speaking up or offering a different POV. At the same time, I want to create a space where they can be encouraged to take on new challenges. Finally, It’s also about celebrating the wins and successes.
Kim Rosenblum is a seasoned C-suite executive with deep expertise in product, performance, and brand marketing. As Chief Marketing Officer of fintech pioneer Betterment, she leads D2C and B2B marketing, driving brand growth and key business metrics. Previously, she led marketing and creative at Paramount Global for TV Land and Nickelodeon, earning multiple industry accolades, including an Effie, an Emmy, and recognition as a Brand Innovator in Fintech.
What inspired you to pursue a career in fintech, and what keeps you motivated? Personal finances have long been a black box—historically, access to information was either restricted or deliberately complex. However, in recent years, technology has broken down these barriers, making investing accessible to everyone. With this shift, the need for clear, engaging, and reliable financial guidance has never been greater. Crafting compelling, educational, and easy-to-understand financial content—whether through a short ad, a blog, or a video—is an exciting creative challenge.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you wish you had known earlier? It may sound cliché or like advice meant for entry-level professionals, but I firmly believe there are no dumb questions. In meetings filled with senior leaders and big titles, I’ve often asked what might seem like a basic question—only to see others chime in, relieved that someone voiced what they were also wondering. It’s easy to assume everyone else knows more than you do—but they don’t. Sometimes, the simplest questions spark valuable discussions.
How do you approach leadership and mentorship for other women in the industry? I’ve mentored and managed numerous individuals throughout my career, always focusing on providing direct, actionable feedback. I emphasize the importance of setting clear objectives and providing context for any work—evaluation shouldn’t be done in a vacuum or based on a gut feeling. I’ve found that women, in particular, approach their work with deep thought and a strong sense of “why.” By creating space for them to present the full story rather than just a headline, they are better set up for success.
Melissa Netram has over 20 years of experience in financial services and fintech policy and is the Global Head of Policy and Strategic Development at Block, Inc., leading initiatives on banking, AI, data privacy, and more. She previously served as Chief Innovation Officer at the CFTC, focusing on responsible innovation in digital assets. Her career spans leadership roles at Intuit, the Financial Services Roundtable, and the U.S. Department of Treasury, shaping key financial regulations.
What’s an achievement you’re most proud of? During my tenure as the Chief Innovation Officer at the CFTC, I was proud to spearhead the creation of an inter-agency working group to promote innovation and accelerate support for start ups across the country. It was a great way to learn what other agencies were working on and to share our successes and our challenges.
What’s your advice for women in the fintech industry? My advice to women in the fintech industry is to build your village in both your personal and professional life. Having a supportive network with good friends and a partner, and peers and mentors helps you succeed in your career. This village will carry you throughout your life. Your village will celebrate your wins as their own, uplift you during difficult times, and push you outside of your comfort zone. Without my village, I honestly don’t think I’d be where I am today.
What inspired you to pursue a career in fintech, and what keeps you motivated? I’m inspired by the fintech industry’s innovative ways to use technology to solve problems for small businesses and consumers, particularly those left behind by traditional financial services providers. At Block, I am energized by our company’s mission to expand access and economic opportunity through the creation of impactful product solutions that address real-world financial challenges.
Michelle is the Credit Product Lead at Plaid where she builds innovative products that leverage cash flow data to expand responsible credit access. Plaid credit products are used by companies like SoFi, Zillow Home Loans, BMG Money, Affirm and more to improve the lending process. Prior to Plaid, Michelle was the Head of Lending Product at Figure, worked in risk at SoFI, and was a consultant at EY.
What’s an achievement you’re most proud of? I lead Plaid’s credit team–one of our fastest growing business segments! I am most proud of launching our Consumer Reporting Agency, which paved the path for Plaid to sit at the forefront of cash flow underwriting. Each day, I know my work is going to help consumers gain access to affordable credit options. As a new mom, my dream is that my daughter will one day be able to use our credit products to help buy her first car.
What inspired you to pursue a career in fintech, and what keeps you motivated? I started my career working at a Credit Union and fell in love with the impact I could make in people’s everyday lives. Getting a loan can enable some incredibly special moments–like buying your first home. I chose to move into fintech so I could build faster, innovative products that drive credit forward. There is always a person behind every loan with a unique story, and I find myself highly motivated to build fintech products that improve consumers’ experiences and expand access to more affordable credit for those in need.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you wish you had known earlier? I wish I knew earlier in my career that timing is everything. I remember in my days on the lender side, we had an aggressive loan volume target. We just couldn’t quite get to where we wanted. Then, rates dropped and we blew our volume metrics out of the water! Today, I am able to give myself this grace. For instance, cash flow underwriting as a concept isn’t new, given assets and income verification have been around for decades. As time has passed, I’m pleased to say cash flow underwriting has gained meaningful traction in the market and the technology has rapidly evolved. The stars are finally aligning with demand, as well as meaningful signals from the government that cash flow data can be good for US businesses and consumers. Together, it’s driving momentum for our products and entire industry forward.
As Vice President, Strategic Partnerships for the Americas at Airwallex, a global payments and financial platform enabling businesses of all sizes to scale and operate efficiently across borders, I sit at the helm of Airwallex’s partnership strategy – leading, developing and implementing integrations that drive outsized growth for the company. Prior to Airwallex, I led strategic growth and product partnerships at early-stage tech companies, including Pinterest, Spotify and LinkedIn, and started my career in traditional finance, both at Netflix and in Technology Investment Banking. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Harvard University, and am currently based in San Francisco, CA.
What inspired you to pursue a career in fintech, and what keeps you motivated? I’ve always been inspired by companies with category-defining products that materially shape innovation in their space and therefore deliver significant utility for their users. Prior to fintech, was at a string of consumer tech companies that fit this bill, joining Spotify, Netflix, Pinterest, LinkedIn, all in their early days. As I was looking for the next stage of my career, I wanted to similarly find a company that was pushing the boundaries on innovation, particularly in an industry ripe for disruption and optimization. I discovered fintech quite serendipitously, through a former manager who had just himself left consumer tech, and had just signed on to join Airwallex. He’d been a trusted leader and mentor to me for many years, and he really convinced me to take a look at Airwallex. Through learning more about the company’s product suite, how they’re disrupting cross-border banking and embedded finance, and uniquely delivering solutions that seamlessly help businesses operate globally, I was excited to jump onboard. It’s been a continuous learning journey since joining over three years ago, and what keeps me motivated are the boundless opportunities to stretch myself intellectually and make a sizable dent and impact on growing both the business and the folks on my team.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you wish you had known earlier? When I was just a couple years into my career, I had an incredible manager at the time, whom upon leaving the company held a “things I wish I had known” session with his team. One thing he said really stood out to me, and while it didn’t have practical application to me at the time, further along in my career really started to increasingly resonate. He stated that one of the key skills to master as you get more senior is continuously framing the why and telling the story of tangible, metrics-based impact. When you’re more junior, you can put your head down and focus on doing a great job on the task at hand, but as you start getting more senior– needing to be point on making tough decisions and tradeoffs, lobbying for buy-in from other teams and leadership, needing to advocate for your team and create a roadmap– crafting the story of why, with data-based facts, and being very vocal about it is the ‘bridge’ between an individual contributor/middle manager versus leader. Being a fearless, effective communicator and evangelizer of your/your team’s work, vision and results has proven to be table stakes in amplifying the ultimate impact that we can deliver, and also in amplifying the overarching career trajectory of those on my team.
How do you approach leadership and mentorship for other women in the industry? I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had strong mentors and advocates throughout my career, and I’ve consistently been surprised by the generosity of professionals around me. I recently met a very senior woman at a fintech dinner, and since then, we’ve had coffee where she’s been an incredible sounding board, checked in via emails, etc. This is a woman who’s led entire business divisions at Visa, on multiple board seats, and effectively is passing her wealth of lived learnings pro bono to other professionals like myself. This is the model of mentorship that I would love to encompass: to be able to pass on the goodwill, share experiences and council, and equally important, to signal my availability as a sounding board to others. I currently have 6 individuals I personally mentor, with a particular focus on mentoring other women and underrepresented minorities; additionally, it was important for me to roll out a broad and scalable program, where our entire Airwallex team could benefit from deeper relationships and guidance. In 2024, I rolled out a mentorship program for all employees at Airwallex across the Americas, pairing folks one-on-one with curated senior leads across the company. Now close to 40 folks are receiving active mentorship through the program. Particularly as someone who’s benefitted so much from my own mentors, my hope is that this program creates a continued network effect.