Judges

Liz Lumley is an independent journalist, podcaster, keynote speaker, and moderator. She is a global specialist commentator on global financial technology or “fintech”. She has spent over 30 years working in the financial technology space, most recently as deputy editor at The Banker. She was also a director at VC Innovations and architect of the FTT Festival, managing director at Startupbootcamp FinTech London, and an editor at financial services and technology newswire, Finextra. She was named Journalist of the Year for Technology and Digital Finance at State Street’s UK Press Awards for 2022.

Emma brings 27 years of expertise in product development, leadership, and business growth, with a strong foundation in exhibitions and conferences. Throughout her career, she has worked with over 25 organizations, both as an employee and a freelancer, helping to expand event portfolios and drive revenue growth.

At The Payments Association, Emma has excelled in building and leading high-performing teams across production, marketing, sales, and operations. Her efforts have culminated in award-winning events such as PAY360, the largest event dedicated to payments. Known for her strategic focus on balancing profitability with exceptional attendee experiences, Emma has been a key contributor to the organization’s accelerated growth and success. 

Janine Hirt is the CEO of Innovate Finance (IF), the industry body representing the world-leading UK FinTech sector. Having joined the initial IF leadership team in 2015 first as Head of Community then Ecosystem Director, she moved into the COO role in 2017 before stepping up to lead the organisation in 2021. Janine is passionate about driving transformation to create a more democratic, transparent and inclusive financial services sector for all. Her professional career has been marked by roles that sit at the intersection of policy, international relations, and industry, including senior positions at Chatham House, (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) and the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce.

Janine has been selected as one of the top 50 most influential women in UK tech by Computer Weekly for the last three years running and has been included in the Women in Trade Association Powerlist for the past two years.  Janine is a regular speaker at international conferences and has been featured in broadcast media and print publications including Sky News, BBC World News, ITN Business, CityAM, Forbes, and the Financial Times.

Janine received her BA Magna Cum Laude from Boston College, JYA at Oxford University, and her MSc from the London School of Economics. Janine is an American, British, Swiss and German national who calls London and NYC home. 

Jordan Dargue is a founder, senior executive, investor, NED and seasoned investment expert. Her boundless passion for innovation, coupled with a remarkable track record of achievements, positions her within the realms of growth and investment.

Jordan’s transformative influence is evident through her leadership in orchestrating multi-million equity-based investment rounds, cultivating award-winning investor networks, and offering unwavering support to thousands of SMEs on their journey toward expansion and investment. Jordan is co-founder of Lifted Ventures. Lifted exists to increase the flow of early stage capital to female founders and promote the significant business benefits of backing women. The Lifted Ventures flywheel has an angel network at its core, alongside education, community and consultancy.

Previously Jordan was co-leader and board director of multi award winning NorthInvest, and in 2020 she co-founded Fund Her North and Women Angels of the North, a collective of women in VCs and Angel investors who support female founders to get equal access to finance.

Polly Tsang is senior financial regulatory manager at ICAEW, leading policy work on AI, sustainability, and digital assets in financial services.

She produces thought-leadership for ICAEW’s 180,000 members, overseeing consultation responses, and convening industry, regulators, and international standard-setters to address emerging issues such as cryptoasset regulation, sustainability disclosure requirements, AI governance, and open finance.

A fellow chartered accountant, Polly regularly speaks at industry events and previously specialised in structured finance and securitisation at PwC London, having qualified in the banking, capital markets and investment management sectors.

Roisin is Fintech Trade and Investment Manager at the UK Department for Business and Trade, supporting UK fintechs to expand domestically and internationally and driving inward investment. 

Prior to this, Roisin specialised in international trade policy as a Free Trade Agreement negotiator for the United Kingdom across multiple deals. Before joining the Department for Business and Trade, Roisin held a number of private sector roles in UK and global business development, supporting a range of businesses from SMEs through to multinational corporations on their growth journeys.