If you imagine a future in finance, make sure that you are aware of the movers and shakers driving innovation in the space.
The global financial sector is ever-evolving, driven largely by advancements in technology and increased access to financial infrastructure. As a result, there are a wealth (pun intended) of exciting opportunities for professionals looking to excel in this space.
With that in mind, if you want a career in finance or dealing with financial infrastructure, it can be helpful to take a look at some of the people whose insights, decision making, innovations and business manoeuvres are further developing the industry. The following 10 women are among those professionals.
Amy Hood
Amy Hood has been the executive vice-president and chief financial officer at Microsoft since 2013, having first joined its ranks in 2002. Her responsibilities involve leading the company’s worldwide finance organisation through: accounting and reporting; acquisitions; business development and ventures; financial planning and analysis; global real estate; internal audits; investor relations; tax planning; and treasury.
She has advanced Microsoft’s cloud endeavours and navigated growth amid a changing landscape – for example, during the AI boom.
Andrea Reynolds
The CEO and founder of London-based financial services company Swoop, Andrea Reynolds has years of experience in raising finance for businesses as a chartered accountant and corporate finance advisor. She serves as chair of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance, and is a non-executive director for both Berkshire Hathaway and Faraday Underwriting.
She is particularly interested in projects in which she can help under-represented founders learn about funding and how to navigate the funding landscape, and also sits on the advisory Ireland for Finance Committee.
Ciara Walsh
Ciara Walsh is a co-founder and the CMO of Irish start-up JustTip, which is a cashless tipping platform for the hospitality industry. Walsh was previously named on the Sunday Independent’s 30 under 30 list, and she has spoken on the challenges of developing a start-up at a young age, learning from one’s mistakes and becoming resilient.
Elaine Deehan
The Ireland country manager for Monzo Bank Europe, Elaine Deehan is also a special projects manager at the organisation. She is at the forefront of developing Monzo’s presence in Ireland and, prior to her role there, worked across banking and fintech at Citi, AIB, Sentenial, CurrencyFair and Starling Bank, where she was also largely responsible for leading Irish expansion. Deehan was also previously named the Business Post’s Business Leader of the Month.
Ioanna Stanegloudi
Ioanna Stanegloudi is a co-founder and the chief risk officer of fintech start-up Finclude, which was previously Verge Capital. She has been recognised among Fortune’s 40 under 40, was included in the Women in Fintech Powerlist by Innovate Finance, won the NYU Stern Entrepreneurs Challenge, placed second in the PitcHer competition at Grace Hopper Celebration, and had her company recognised by the UN.
Currently, she is focused on the mental health element of working and personal life, addressing issues around anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, career pressure, identity transitions and relationship stress.
Lesley Tully
The founder and CEO of This is Penny, Lesley Tully is redefining how women engage with pension infrastructure. Designed to account for the elements of a woman’s life that can often disrupt her financial goals, such as career breaks or additional care-giving responsibilities, This is Penny aims to enable women to develop a sturdy financial future.
Prior to establishing her own company, Tully was the head of design thinking for the Bank of Ireland Group, as well as the project director for Dublin Contemporary, Ireland’s largest art exhibition. As part of her role there, she drove strategy, finance, fundraising, operations, governance and stakeholder engagement.
Niamh Cunningham
Niamh Cunningham is the head of corporate FP&A and strategic finance at Barclaycard Payments. Her previous roles include senior director and head of strategic finance for global sales, partnerships and international at Block; head of finance and strategy for international markets at Square; and group internal auditor at CRH.
Ruth McCarthy
If you are particularly interested in the intersection of finance and compliance, then Ruth McCarthy is undoubtedly one to follow. The head of compliance, risk and policy at Irish fintech company Fexco, McCarthy’s work involves combining legal and regulatory knowledge with commercial awareness to deliver growth within the payments ecosystem.
She is especially passionate about the Irish payments industry, payment technology, strategy and innovation.
McCarthy is also a member of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. She is chair of the Fintech and Payments Association of Ireland, a member of the Industry Advisory Group for the Irish government’s Ireland for Finance strategy for financial services, and was a member of the ECB market advisory group on the digital euro.
Sarah Friar
The chief financial officer at OpenAI, Sarah Friar previously served as the CFO of Square, where under her guidance the organisation launched its initial public offering and added $30bn in market capitalisation. Prior to working at Square, she was the senior vice-president of finance and strategy at Salesforce, and she has held executive and leadership roles at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey.
She is a member of a number of boards, such as the Board of Trustees at Stanford, the Board of Directors at ConsenSys and the Board of Advisors at Operation Hope. The latter is a global provider of financial dignity education and economic empowerment programmes for low- and moderate-income youths, individuals and families in underserved communities.
Friar is also the co-founder of Ladies Who Launch, a network that aims to mentor and inspire women entrepreneurs and business owners. Friar was named among the Time100 2026 most influential people and the 2023 NACD Directorship 100 selection.
Sinead Fitzmaurice
Sinead Fitzmaurice is notable for being the first female CEO in Ireland to scale an Irish tech company to unicorn status. Having since left Transfermate, where she achieved that feat, Fitzmaurice is now an operating partner at Aperture Capital. She is also the founder and CEO of Ryan Capital Group, a collection of investors and mentors whose aim is to help other founders to achieve success. She currently serves as a chair and non-executive director for financial services company Nazaré Point.
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