Brussels, Belgium – July 10, 2024 – The European FinTech Association (EFA) today announced the appointment of its new Board following its 2024 Annual General Assembly. The newly-appointed Board of Directors comprises experts from leading fintech innovators across Europe who will represent the association in exchanges with European stakeholders and policymakers.
Established in 2019, the EFA is a not-for-profit organisation representing more than 30 innovative financial technology companies of all sizes from across Europe.
Current EFA Co-Presidents Linda Strazdina and Marc Roberts will continue their respective mandates as the association’s Co-Presidents for another term. Going forward, the Board of Directors will consist of:
● Linda Strazdina, EU Policy & Government Relations Lead at Wise
● Marc Roberts, General Counsel at Raisin
● Sandrell Sultana, Head of EU Public Policy Government Relations at Stripe
● Josy Soussan, European Policy & Government Relations lead at Klarna
● Crystal Goh, Global Head of Communications at N26
● Paul Mortby, Head of Policy in the EU, the Middle East and Africa for Block, Inc.
● Oleksandra Maksymenko, EU Government Affairs Manager at Revolut
The association advocates for a true European digital single market that enables all EU consumers to benefit equally from innovative digital finance solutions. For this to happen, the EFA advocates for equal and inclusive access to digital financial products, regulation supporting innovation and fair competition, and protection for consumers in the digital age.
“Fintech companies are an important pillar of Europe’s growing digital economy, offering consumers access to financial services that are transparent, innovative, and inclusive. Since 2019, the EFA has spoken with a single voice for the sector,” said EFA Co-President Marc Roberts, who has served on the association’s board since 2019.
In 2023, the EFA represented the voice of the fintech industry on many of the key developments for the sector in Europe; steering the discussions on topics like the EU’s Payment Services Package, including on instant payments and direct access to payment systems for non-banking institutions, the Retail Investment Strategy, open finance and the digital euro, the AML package, next steps in the AI Act, and the role that fintechs and other innovators play in supporting the EU’s competitiveness.
EFA Co-President Linda Strazdina added, “In this important election year, our goal will continue to be to advocate for the sector with key European stakeholders, so that we can ensure long-term competitiveness, technological leadership, and attractiveness of Europe’s growing digital economy.” For more information about the EFA, visit www.eufintechs.com.
Media enquiries: info@eufintechs.com.
About the European Fintech Association
The European FinTech Association (EFA) is a not-for-profit organisation representing leading FinTech companies of all sizes from across the EU. Designed by and for Europe’s FinTech community, EFA serves as a resource and forum for education, information sharing, and networking between companies, policymakers, and the general public. Our goals are to promote cooperation and dialogue between FinTech companies and institutions, and to advocate and represent the interests of our members in the European Union.
The Board
Linda Strazdina leads EU Policy & Government Relations at Wise. Based in Brussels, Linda advocates for policies that further Wise’s mission of making payments instant, convenient, transparent, and eventually free. Prior to Wise, Linda worked for public affairs consultancies in Brussels focusing on financial services and tech policy, as well as at the Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU during Latvia’s first Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the European Commission.
Marc Roberts is General Counsel at Raisin, one of the largest German FinTechs, which has been revolutionising the savings and investment market, since 2017. He has been on the board of the European FinTech Association (EFA) since its start in 2019 and is currently Co-President of the association. Before joining deposit specialist Raisin, he was a senior associate at the German law firm Hengeler Mueller, where he specialised in compliance and regulatory law, and at Cravath Swaine & Moore (New York).
Sandrell Sultana currently leads the EU Public Policy work at Stripe. Previously, she was the Financial Service attache representing Malta in the EU Council Working Parties, as well as in other EU fora dealing with economic and financial-related issues. She also worked as a Partner for financial services consultancy Kreab, as the lead for fintech and capital market policy. She started her career as an Analyst for American Express and subsequently, for E&Y, while she also held a senior position at the European Venture Capital and Private Equity Association in their Political Advocacy department. Sandrell holds both a Bachelor in Business and a Master in European Business from the Cass Business School London.
Josy Soussan is the European Policy & Government Relations lead at Klarna, the AI powered global payments network and shopping assistant. In his role he works with governments, supervisors and other policy stakeholders across Europe on (fin)tech, banking and payment files. Before joining Klarna in 2021, Josy was a Financial Supervisor & Policy Advisor at the Netherlands Financial Markets Authority. Josy also worked as an external relations and public affairs manager at Funding Circle as well as at S&P Global Ratings. He holds an Executive MPA (Master in Public Affairs) from Sciences Po (Paris), and a Master degree in Corporate & Political Communications from CELSA-Sorbonne Paris IV University.
Crystal Goh is the Global Head of Communications at N26, where she is responsible for public affairs, internal communications and public relations for the European digital banking pioneer. Crystal joined N26 in 2019, and brings over a decade of experience supporting the growth of global brands in Europe’s innovation and technology sector. She holds a degree in business management, having studied communications and business at Grenoble’s Ecole Supérieure de Commerce and the Singapore Management University.
Paul Mortby is the Head of Policy in the EU, the Middle East and Africa for Block, Inc (NYSE: SQ), leading Block’s policy and Government Relations efforts in the region for all of Block’s business units (Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL and TBD). Paul has a breadth and depth of experience in fintech regulation including in payments and e-money, digital assets, and digital identity. Before joining Block, Paul worked in the Financial Conduct Authority’s Banking and Payments Policy and Innovation teams where he engaged with innovative payments and digital asset based solutions and supervised a range of FCA Sandbox tests. Paul has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Aberdeen University and a Master of Laws from Durham University.
Oleksandra Maksymenko is the EU Government Affairs Manager at Revolut since 2023. In this role, she is responsible for leading public affairs work across Europe. Prior to joining Revolut, she worked at the top-tier public affairs consultancy in Brussels, advising crypto and FinTech clients. Before that, she worked at the National Bank of Ukraine, specialising in FinTech policies. One of her greatest achievements in this role was the launch of a regulatory sandbox in Ukraine. Oleksandra started her career in a law firm, focusing on Banking & Finance. She holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.