Qonto, the leading European business finance solution for SMEs and freelancers serving 500,000 customers, today announces the appointment of Heidrun Luyt as its new Chief Growth Officer (CGO).

With Luyt joining the C-suite alongside recently appointed Chief Product Officer Natalia Williams, Qonto reaches 45% female representation at the executive level, setting a powerful example for the fintech industry where, in 2023, only 17% of C-suite members in European start-ups and scale-ups were women (source). This dual appointment represents a significant step forward in driving strategic growth across European markets while reflecting Qonto's commitment to building a diverse and inclusive leadership team. It also creates a unique opportunity to strengthen the connection between Growth and Product functions, ensuring Qonto's solutions become even more commercially driven while maintaining their customer-centric focus.

As CGO, Luyt will lead and develop Qonto’s growth team of nearly 300 people spanning local and global Sales, Acquisition, Client Development, Brand & Communications, as well as Growth Projects & Operations teams.

Luyt joins Qonto with extensive experience in driving organic and acquisitive growth in senior commercial marketing and customer experience roles. With almost two decades in the international SaaS, fintech, and retail industries, Luyt has a proven track record in digital marketing, go-to-market strategies, and customer experience excellence. Her career spans leadership positions at global FTSE250 organisations including IG Group, Private Equity-backed companies like Pipedrive, and David Lloyd Leisure, as well as privately-owned brands like Le Creuset and Peek & Cloppenburg.

"I'm thrilled to join Qonto as CGO at such a pivotal time in the company's journey," says Luyt. "Qonto's impressive growth and its focus on empowering freelancers and SMEs align perfectly with my professional passions. I'm excited to work with the talented team here to bring our business banking and finance tools to more customers and to expand our reach across Europe, beyond our 8 markets."

Luyt joins Qonto at a crucial juncture in its expansion. Following its recent launch into four new geographies (Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal), Qonto is focused on building the best business finance management solution across its 8 European markets while exploring future growth opportunities.

Alexandre Prot, CEO & co-founder of Qonto, comments: "We're delighted to welcome Heidrun to our leadership team. Her proven ability to scale businesses internationally, combined with her strategic growth mindset and focus on customer needs, will be crucial assets as we continue our European expansion journey. This appointment not only brings exceptional talent to our executive team but also marks a proud moment as women now represent 45% of Qonto's C-level positions, demonstrating our commitment to building a diverse and inclusive company that reflects the customers we serve."