Women Leaders at Nium: A Chat with Dana Nino

At Nium, we recognize the resilience of our remarkable female trailblazers on the forefront of fintech, and powering our mission across the organization from engineering, technology, human resources, marketing to sales. Committed to equality, we’re taking this opportunity to highlight inclusivity by interviewing our women leadership, celebrating their achievements, and sharing their advice for future females working to change the face of the workforce. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Women’s History Month, and our partnership with ICC as the first official fintech infrastructure partner of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, there is no better time for a chat with Dana Nino, our Global Payments SVP: 

Q1. How do you think working at a fintech supports innovation and women’s leadership?  

I think every female we see taking up a leadership role in the fintech space is a step in the right direction, especially towards better equality in an industry otherwise challenged. Women making a conscious decision to choose financial services, payments, and related technologies as their career paths are becoming increasingly common. Believing that they can push past a glass ceiling in a male-dominated field is always inspiring and encouraging!  

Females driving innovation in tech, especially fintech, is not yet as pervasive as we would hope, but it is an area of huge opportunity going forward. Technology and business degrees, combined with experience in both large corporations as well as successful start-ups, all help build a great multi-faceted background enabling women to establish themselves at the forefront of innovation and fintech.  

Despite challenges, there are countless examples of amazing female fintech leaders dominating in their space. I think of women payments veterans such Sheila James (VP of Op’s at Veem), Jody Perla (Managing Director at Payoneer), Rebecca Mann (SVP at Western Union),  Sue-Ellen Speight (SVP at StoneX), Sadhana Akella Mishra (Chief Risk Officer at Finxact), Roseate Wagner (Alipay), Jessica Ao (Chief Partnership Officer at Geoswift), Carol Ann Korpi (Head of Sales at Boa Compra), Imirpreet Lidhar (Director at Paysafe), Morgan Andrews (Global Payments Counsel), Jing Yang (VP of Payments at Expedia), Cara Hayward (Currency Cloud), Ximing Zhao (Product at JPMC), Sharna Gayle (Director at Moneycorp America’s), Skyler Webster (SVP Western Union), Katie Mitchell and so many others.  

2022 is really a year of enormous potential for women in fintech! 

Q2. How does the modern money movement support the inclusivity and empowerment of women globally? 

Modern money movement and innovation make it easier for women in emerging markets to become more economically self-sufficient. In turn, it is providing them with career opportunities that likely would not be available to them otherwise. As an example, more women in emerging markets are gaining financial independence through their pursuit of gig economy roles and freelance work. Also, women in under-developed markets tend to lag behind men in financial services and particularly access to credit; modern money movement products and innovation help drive financial and digital literacy at a global level. 

We’re serving traditionally underserved markets and closing gender gaps. Recipients no longer always need a bank account to get paid, there are solutions for the underbanked to pick up a payment, receive a payment on their phone, or other options. There’s an element of empowerment and independence allowing the fintech sector to help close the gender gap tremendously. 

Q3. What are you most proud of from your work at Nium? 

I am most proud of the outstanding working relationships I have developed with my team and all of the global cross-functional teams that I work with daily. Multiple cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences create our well-rounded and diverse group, with each contribution and perspective being a valuable piece of the puzzle.  

Learning to work cohesively and productively ensures the momentum that is so critical in a fast-moving fintech; positive working relationships are at the core of success at Nium. Any breakage in the chain of cooperation can lead to negative client impact and additional consumption of resources. Having a strong team that works well together and considers themselves friends outside of the office is something I would consider a clear indicator of success.   

Q4. What is the best advice you can share with the upcoming generation of female leaders? 

My best advice to women looking to be future leaders is to understand and believe that you bring a unique and valuable perspective to the table. There are ongoing struggles and work to be done to level set the gender playing field in this industry, but there is an enormous opportunity in tech leadership roles. At Nium, we are continually looking for creative ways that we can encourage and empower women to pursue technology and financial services careers, and subsequently ensure that we consciously acknowledge their strong contributions by elevating them in their careers.  

Fintechs specifically have made great strides in this area in recent years; in 2022 women should feel confident that there is a huge gap that they are able to fill in senior leadership roles. These critical roles will help define and build the future of payments globally. More female faces at the table will ensure the products and services being developed are aptly designed, and rolled out to reflect the spectrum of the populations they serve.