Voices in Fintech: Christina Hutchinson

To commemorate women’s history month and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, we’re proud to share the second blog of the series highlighting women leaders at Nium.

Nium relies on talented women across all regions and is committed to providing equal opportunities and an inclusive workplace where diversity can thrive. In this featured article, Christina Hutchinson, V.P. of Business Development- LATAM, provides insights into her journey at Nium and how to make fintech an inclusive space for other women leaders.

Q. What has been your most memorable professional milestone at Nium?

I am proud to be a part of the journey at Nium to drive and promote our LATAM expansion in its early stages. As a regional leader, I collaborate with our international team to build and implement the strategy for Latin America. It’s exciting for me to engage in knowledge transfer with our team.

Working with cross-functional teams means uniting efforts to meet common goals; we’re delighted to facilitate financial inclusion and alternative payments using solutions such as pay ins and virtual cards. This supports businesses, unlocks financial independence for employees, and makes an impact that extends to widespread economic prosperity.

Q. What do you think can be done to make fintech a more inclusive space for emerging women leaders?

There is ample opportunity in the fintech space for women to thrive. We have a responsibility to be more vocal and remove bias from job descriptions and roles, so that diversity and inclusion are set as the new industry standard.

There should also be more dialogue focused on facilitating access and delivering education on key subject areas such as finance and technology. Helping strengthen the confidence of emerging women leaders and providing a transparent hiring process would reduce barriers to entry in this domain, meanwhile providing an equal field for them to carve out their professional success.

Q. What advice would you give to women looking to elevate their career in the payments space?

Aspiring women leaders must keep developing and challenging themselves and be eager to learn, as this is a fast-paced industry. Never underestimate your potential and the instrumental contributions women bring to a fintech- we add diversity not only in terms of gender but also backgrounds and expertise, further strengthening our problem-solving abilities to resolve business pain points accurately.

Q. How are you driving change for women at Nium to help overcome industry challenges?

I am a believer in leading by example; if we want to build a more inclusive culture, it starts with individual contributions. I am always looking to keep an inclusive behavior with my colleagues by being a dialogue driver, sharing feedback, and building a community where we help each other polish our strengths.

As a firm believer in the power of mentorship, I practice what I preach. This is done by ensuring that I set the tone with the right energy to help foster courage. Additionally, I keep an engaged work environment where we can contribute our talents to deliver results without compromising our authenticity.

Q. How do you define a productive week at Nium?

Having a set of personal and work responsibilities, owning a set of metrics, and the satisfaction of having made an impact is what I aspire to achieve at the end of the week.

To be successful, I set a weekly priority list. If those are accomplished–or at least addressed–and I learn, and share my knowledge while having fun at work, I consider that a productive week. It’s important to be results-oriented in day-to-day goals and beyond, whether that’s within the company or by growing my connections through participating in women in fintech-related forums. The goal is to learn, have productive experiences, and take time to contribute to others’ development.