Investment to fuel international expansion as the company triples gross written (GWP) in six months

Cover Genius, the leading insurtech for embedded insurance, announced today that it has secured $100M AUD in a Series C funding round led by Sompo Holdings (Asia) Pte. Ltd (Sompo Asia) who invested ~$68M AUD, with participation from G Squared and other existing investors. The latest funding round follows a momentous six months during which Cover Genius tripled its gross written premium (GWP) after signing over 20 new partners across multiple industries.

The funding will be used to expand its global insurance distribution platform and support new e-commerce, property, travel, mobility, auto, B2B and financial services partners.

“With 70% of customers wanting embedded insurance integrated into their online experiences, our XCover distribution platform is helping some of the world’s largest global companies exceed their customer expectations of what insurance can be with a single API call,” said Angus McDonald, CEO and co-founder of Cover Genius. “Our technology, licensed in more than 60 countries and all 50 US states, gives our partners the ability to protect their customers, regardless of location, currency or language. This strategic investment will help us expand our capabilities into markets equipped for new lines of distribution.”

Founded in 2014, Cover Genius is the global insurtech specialising in providing end-to-end embedded insurance to the customers of the world’s largest digital companies, including Booking Holdings, eBay, Wayfair, Intuit, and other global leaders, such as SE Asia’s largest company, Shopee. With its end-to-end technology, Cover Genius is able to offer global capabilities to multiple industries, including property insurance for renters, landlords, homeowners and corporates, fintech and bank insurance programmes, solutions for retailers, gig contractors, logistics platforms, cyber security companies and online travel agencies, rental car aggregator and airlines.

“Given that Cover Genius has been awarded as the number one fastest-growing global insurtech, according to the Financial Times, we are excited to partner with a frontrunner in the space whose technology is uniquely positioned for a global, platform-based economy,” said Daniel Neo, CEO of Sompo Asia. “The company’s disruptive approach to insurance benefits both customers, who receive a seamless digital experience, and partners that can provide customers global, expandable insurance offerings with dynamic pricing and product recommendations.”

“Cover Genius’ impressive management team has built a global, multi-line insurance offering with what we believe to be unrivalled breadth,” said Larry Aschebrook, Founder & Managing Partner, G Squared. “The company has partnered with a number of top-tier companies to utilize its insurance distribution platform and has demonstrated clear recurring revenue growth with those partners. We view the unique underwriting customisation as a key differentiator and are delighted to support Cover Genius in this exciting next chapter.”

Cover Genius' award-winning technologies include XCover, its global distribution platform that delivers highly customisable, personalised insurance and warranty products in any country, language and currency, and XClaim, an API for real-time payment of approved claims. With XClaim, instant claim payments can be handled in more than 90 currencies and through a range of payment methods, including bank transfer, store credit, card top-up, and digital wallets. The ease of use and efficiency of the platform has resulted in a world-leading NPS score of +65.

Increases SMB buying power while reducing risk and improving cash flow

Behalf, Inc., a provider of In-Purchase Financing solutions for B2B sellers and buyers, today announced that Lenovo, one of the largest computer makers in the world, has deployed Behalf’s solution to provide flexible and extended financing to its business customers and LenovoPRO business members. With Behalf, businesses can now finance and pay for their Lenovo purchases on a schedule that works for them, either monthly or weekly.

Lenovo customers can easily enroll with Behalf from the Lenovo website or by invitation via their Lenovo Sales Business Specialist. Customers can also enroll with the assistance of a Lenovo Small Business Specialist by calling 866-426-0911 and, coming soon, an online application will be available at the LenovoPRO Store. If approved, they will be able to finance their Lenovo purchases through Behalf on flexible financing terms that fit their business needs.

Behalf’s In-Purchase Financing solution provides all the benefits of consumer-focused Buy Now, Pay Later offerings with capabilities tailored specifically for Lenovo’s business-to-business commerce relationships including:

• Seamless online checkout that significantly improves the customer experience, drives same-session checkout, and enhances customer loyalty.
• Easy integration with Lenovo’s existing point-of-sale systems.
• Advanced underwriting and scoring models based on expansive datasets, business history and other predictive metrics to address the added complexity and risk of larger business purchases. This enables Lenovo to extend financing that may be unavailable through traditional channels.
• Financing for transactions of significantly greater average order value vs. consumer financing offerings.
• The ability to serve the needs of virtually all of Lenovo’s business customers – regardless of size.
• Behalf financing coupled with Lenovo’s exclusive free business membership program, LenovoPRO, delivers best-in-class value for business shoppers.

Behalf’s Sales & Marketing teams will also support Lenovo with sales and operational training, and customized assets that enable Lenovo’s sales team to introduce Behalf to its customer base and create a seamless enrollment experience. Behalf will also share best practices with Lenovo on how to leverage different financing options to increase sales.

“Lenovo wants to offer its business customers a buying experience that is as easy as what they see in their daily lives as consumers,” said Behalf CEO, Rob Rosenblatt. “With Behalf, Lenovo can offer flexible financing programs and receive payment upfront, without the need to take on any of the financing risk. At the same time, their business customers benefit from access to flexible financing to increase their buying power and gain greater control over their cash flow.”

“Small and medium-sized organizations are the foundation of our business, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to buy from Lenovo,” said Carlo Savino, Vice President of eCommerce (NA and LA). “Behalf’s In-Purchase Financing Solution enables those businesses to acquire the important equipment and resources they need today to fuel the growth of their businesses, while at the same time giving them the ability to protect their cash flow for ongoing business needs.”

SimplePin, a FinTech company strategically designed for the insurance industry, today announces it will attend InsureTech Connect 2021 as an Innovation Start-Up Sponsor

SimplePin, a leading cloud-based digital payments infrastructure provider for the insurance industry, is pleased to participate at InsureTech Connect 2021 as an official Innovation Start-Up Sponsor. SimplePin is committed to delivering innovative technology to the insurance market to modernize receivables and payments processes for carriers, brokers, and MGAs.

For the first time ever, InsureTech Connect will allow for both in-person and online attendee participation; with three jam-packed days filled with workshop sessions, expo hours and endless networking opportunities. InsureTech Connect will be welcoming over 5,000 attendees from over 2,200 organizations across the U.S. - the world's largest gathering of Insurance, FinTech and InsurTech leaders and innovators.

"We're so excited to once again attend ITC; in person, this year, and connect with some of the industry's biggest thought leaders," said Metod Topolnik, CEO of SimplePin. "At SimplePin we created one platform for all of your payments, providing customized solutions to key industry players streamlining receivable and payment processes for some of the largest insurance providers in North America."

Attendees can connect with the SimplePin team at booth #K-70, pick up our "Vegas Survival Kit" and enter to win a Peloton Bike+ starting Monday, Oct. 4 through Wednesday, Oct. 6.

Learn how some of the largest insurance providers are leveraging SimplePin's platform to improve staff and customer experience, streamline back-end processes and significantly reduce the cost of operations and processing fees.

 Tingo Inc. (OTCQB: IWBB) is a unique agri-fintech company offering, through Tingo Mobile in Nigeria, personal communications services (“PCS”) using GSM technology for subscribers within and outside of the agricultural sector. Tingo Mobile has developed a comprehensive agri-fintech and agri-marketplace ecosystem to support the agricultural sector, becoming Africa’s leading provider of such services over the long term. Services include smartphone leasing, agri-marketplace, airtime top-ups, utilities payments, bill pay, and access to insurance and lending services. This is collectively known as NWASSA, a service to support financial inclusion and deliver significant social impact in the agriculture sector. It supports rural communities in line with UN SDGs and ESG principles.

Tingo currently has over 9 million customers who rely of Tingo and NWASSA services for the successful running of their farms. Tingo’s work with farming cooperatives across Nigeria has led to higher yield, significantly reduced post-harvest losses and increased profitability throughout the country.

Tingo’s commitment to being a force for positive change has been recognized in its nomination for the Environmental, Social & Governance Award at the upcoming Crypto AM Awards.

“Tingo is thrilled to be recognized for our continued efforts to bring about social upliftment, financial inclusion, food security and female empowerment in our core market in Nigeria and across the African continent,” Chris Cleverly, President of Tingo, stated following the nomination. “One of our key goals has always been to empower SME female entrepreneurs engaged in the agri-ecosystem to deliver true gender equality and diversity.”

The Crypto AM Awards, scheduled to take place Thursday, September 30, at the prestigious Leonardo Royal Hotel London, will mark the climax of the two-day Crypto AM Summit. In total, there are 14 awards up for grabs, all judged by an independent panel of industry experts.

Tingo aims to deliver, in a tangible and measurable way, alignment and compliance with the key UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality through upliftment of female entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, poverty alleviation and food security. This goal is highlighted by the company’s growing agent network, which currently consists of roughly 15,000 members — the overwhelming majority of whom are women.

Tingo intends to become a truly Pan-African company with global reach. It aims to modernize the continent by providing a complete digital ecosystem to facilitate financial interaction and deliver disruptive micro-finance solutions. Through its Tingo Mobile subsidiary, the company has distributed almost 30 million mobile handsets since 2014, offering an affordable price point while allowing customers to spread payments over 36 months.

Africa is the second-largest continent by population. It is also the youngest by far, with a median age of 18 for its 1.3 billion people. Agriculture makes up 23 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP and 60 percent of employment. Tingo believes the building blocks for growth in Africa’s agriculture industry are in place and that the company is well positioned to participate in the upside.

Pushpay, the leading technology platform building world-class giving and engagement solutions to help organizations grow their communities, is pleased to announce that Sumita Pandit and John M. Connolly have been appointed as Directors by the Pushpay Board effective today, Sept. 27, 2021.

Sumita is Chief Operating Officer of dLocal, a technology-first payments platform enabling global enterprise merchants to connect with consumers in emerging markets. Prior to dLocal, Sumita was Global Head of Fintech Investment Banking for J.P. Morgan.

John is a Senior Advisor to Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm and Pushpay’s largest shareholder. He has led or served on over 35 boards and over the course of his career held executive positions at Bain Capital Ventures, M|C Communications, Institutional Shareholder Services, and IBM. John also founded Mainspring, Inc. (acquired by IBM) and Course Technology (acquired by Thomson Corporation).

Molly Matthews, CEO of Pushpay, said, “Our mission is to help organizations grow their communities and that has guided us to become the leading vertical software and payments platform in the faith sector. I am excited to tap into the new perspectives, knowledge and skill sets Sumita and John bring to Pushpay as we continue to execute our growth strategy by entering new markets and building differentiated world class products and services for our customers.”

Graham Shaw, Chairman of Pushpay’s Board of Directors, said, “We are delighted to welcome Sumita and John to the Pushpay Board. Sumita has been central to the growth of fintech businesses throughout her career and John brings a 30-year track record of innovation, vision, and execution in creating successful growth companies. These appointments show the pro-growth, collaborative approach we have enjoyed with Sixth Street since their joining as our cornerstone investor last March. We are thrilled to have appointed such experienced and energetic individuals who will further strengthen our Board’s breadth of talent and background.”

Sumita Pandit said, “I look forward to working with Molly, my fellow Board members and the rest of the team as Pushpay continues to expand its product set, deepen its customer relationships and solidify its position as the leader in non-profit payments integration.”

John Connolly said, “Molly and her team have done an incredible job strengthening Pushpay’s position as the leading platform serving donor communities in the US. I look forward to contributing my experience as well as Sixth Street’s knowledge and insights across its technology portfolio to help Pushpay pursue its next phase of growth.”

About Pushpay’s collaboration with Sixth Street

In March 2021, Sixth Street became Pushpay’s largest shareholder and began engaging with the Company on operational initiatives with a primary focus on accelerating growth and product innovation. Sixth Street leverages its experience, resources, and global perspectives to help accelerate growth at the companies in which it invests.

Michael McGinn, Partner at Sixth Street, said, “Pushpay’s customers recognize the value of its integrated payments platform and entire ecosystem approach, and we see significant opportunities for expansion beyond its current industry-leading position. Sumita and John will further strengthen the Board’s presence in Pushpay’s core US market, and provide support and guidance as it seeks to execute on those opportunities and accelerate growth. We look forward to collaborating with Molly, the senior leadership team and the Board to help realize Pushpay’s full potential.”

Sixth Street uses its flexible, long-term capital, data-enabled capabilities and one cross-platform team approach to develop themes, and offer solutions to companies across all stages of growth. Founded in 2009, the firm manages over US$50 billion in assets and has more than 320 team members across nine global offices. Select current and past representative Sixth Street investments include Airbnb, AirTrunk, AvidXchange, Gainsight, Kyriba, MDLIVE, Passport, Paycor, PaySimple, Spotify, Sprinklr and SumUp.

Further background on Sumita Pandit and John M. Connolly

Sumita Pandit | Independent Director

Sumita is the Chief Operating Officer of dLocal, a technology-first payments platform enabling global enterprise merchants to connect with billions of consumers in emerging markets. Prior to joining dLocal, Sumita was a Managing Director and Global Head of Fintech Investment Banking for J.P. Morgan. Sumita brings nearly two decades of experience in investment banking, advising companies across verticals in fintech including payments, financial software, neo-banks and insurtech. Previously, she worked at Goldman Sachs. Sumita received her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Sumita lives with her family in Los Altos, California, US.

John M. Connolly | Non-executive Director

John is a Senior Advisor to Sixth Street providing guidance to portfolio company CEOs and management teams on strategic and operational issues associated with growth. John has served as chairman, non- executive chairman or director on over 35 boards, including A Cloud Guru, Paycor and Regulatory DataCorp (RDC) where he served alongside Michael McGinn, Co-Head of Sixth Street’s Growth business. John was previously a Managing Director at Bain Capital Ventures, Chairman and CEO of M|C Communications, Chairman of Edgar Online, Chairman of the Princeton Review, President and CEO of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), and held several senior positions at IBM, including leading the integration to create the IBM Business Consulting Group. John also founded two companies, Mainspring, Inc. (acquired by IBM) and Course Technology (acquired by Thomson Corporation). John lives with his family in Manchester, Massachusetts, US.

Sumita, as an Independent Director and John, as a Non-executive Director affiliated with Sixth Street, will each hold office until Pushpay’s next Annual Meeting, at which point they will stand for election by shareholders.

Lleti brings more than 20 years’ experience growing markets and improving clients’ risk decisioning outcomes

Provenir, a global leader in data analytics software and risk decisioning, today announced Corinne Lleti has been appointed Sales Director for EMEA, managing sales operations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as the company expands its presence worldwide.

Previously, Corinne served as president of Lletico, a technology startup that helps businesses streamline administrative tasks and understand their overall performance. Prior to this, Corinne served in multiple senior-level customer and consulting roles at Experian for more than 20 years, leading international business and pre-sales consultants, developing annual sales strategies and go-to-market plans as part of their EMEA sales leadership team, while cultivating customer partnerships and exceeding sales targets.

“Corinne brings a wealth of experience in the credit risk decisioning market that will prove invaluable as Provenir continues to expand its sales footprint and brand awareness globally,” said Frode Berg, Managing Director, Provenir EMEA. “We welcome Corinne to the Provenir team and her leadership in directing our sales efforts across EMEA to help fintechs and payment providers address their credit risk decisioning needs.”

The appointment of Corinne expands Provenir’s executive management team, reinforcing its commitment to growing its global footprint, providing fintechs and lenders access to industry-leading data, analytics and solutions for real-time credit decisioning. Revenue for Provenir’s Software-as-a-Service solutions are projected to grow 56 percent year over year, and the company is on track to achieve 50 percent growth in staff in 2021, expanding across all regions.

“I am excited to help drive Provenir’s success as a leader in risk-decisioning technology, enabling the fintech industry, including the growing list of Buy Now Pay Later companies, to better and more quickly serve customers,” said Corinne. “EMEA is a growing market for financial services, and I look forward to continuing to build upon Provenir’s momentum in the region.”

Andrew Bloom, the founder and former CEO of Masthaven Bank, has joined the Fintern Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Fintern, the fast-growing digital consumer lender on a mission to expand access to affordable lending, has appointed Andrew Bloom to its board as a Non-Executive Director.

Andrew brings deep expertise launching and scaling lending businesses in the UK which will prove invaluable as Fintern works to make affordable credit available to the 15m people currently unserved by the incumbents.

Andrew founded Masthaven Bank, and served as its CEO from 2015 to 2020. Masthaven is a UK challenger bank focusing on savings and specialist mortgages. It has c.£1bn in assets and 200 employees. Masthaven was awarded CFI’s “Most Innovative Digital Retail Bank UK 2019” and also named “Best Second Charge Mortgage Lender”.

Before founding Masthaven Bank, Andrew founded Masthaven Finance (a secured lender) and served as its CEO from 2005 to 2015. During Andrew’s tenure Masthaven Finance was the 81st fastest growing private company in Britain and was included in both the Sunday Times “Fast Track 100”awards and the Financial Times “Europe Fast Track 1000”.

Dr. Michelle He, Fintern Co-Founder and COO said “It's a great honor to have Andrew as our NED at an exciting time in our growth. Andrew will be of huge benifit to Fintern, bringing his excellent knowledge and experience of buiding and scaling a UK lending business.”

Andrew said " “I’m thrilled to be joining Fintern, it has a tremendously exciting business model with limitless potential. From the moment I met the founders I know this was a company that I wanted to be involved with and am delighted to not only be an early stage investor but also its first non-executive director”

Gerald Chappell, Fintern Co-Founder and CEO added “Andrew is one of the UK's pre-eminent Fintech and lending entrepreneurs, and has hands-on experience building and scaling high-impact lending businesses. He's been through our journey multiple times: building industry redefining propositions, providing dramatically improved options to under-served customers, and growing rapidly to scale.” 

• BAE Systems data reveals human trafficking is one of the top 5 biggest financial concerns for banks and insurers
• Money laundering techniques are now harder to spot and stop
• Financial compliance professionals blame ‘stagnant’ rules and regulations for hindering efforts to tackle money laundering

Human trafficking is now one of the biggest concerns for compliance professionals across the globe, according to the latest annual anti-money laundering study from BAE Systems: The State of Anti-Money Laundering 2021.

According to the latest data, over three quarters (77 per cent) of compliance professionals admit they are not confident that money laundering crimes linked to human trafficking could be stopped from passing through their customers’ accounts. More than 62 per cent of those surveyed said that advanced, new criminal techniques have become even harder to spot in the last 12 months and the financial impact on banks has been huge. In the UK, a quarter (25 per cent) of risk and compliance professionals within financial institutions said that human trafficking was causing the largest financial losses of all anti-money laundering crimes. In the US, it was a third and in Australia, nearer half (45 per cent).   

Banks worried by human impact of money laundering

Alongside fraud, corruption and organised crime, human trafficking has been cited as a top 5 concern, with a quarter (25 per cent) of those questioned admitting that it is a serious worry.

Over one in five (26 per cent) said that their teams struggled to identify the key indicators linked to human trafficking and almost a third (28 per cent) simply do not have enough anti-money laundering intelligence within their organisation.

Compliance now a box ticking exercise that ignores the real problem

Compliance is a major cost centre for financial institutions, particularly when it comes to anti-money laundering. However, the consensus from many professionals in the industry (71 per cent) is that compliance has become a box ticking exercise that is getting in the way of tackling the true source of the money laundering.

With more than half (56 per cent) of money laundering remaining uncovered over the last year, almost a fifth (16 per cent) said compliance is now a stagnant culture that doesn’t go far enough to understand and support the real-life victims of money laundering.

Enda Shirley, Head of Compliance at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, commented: “For many financial institutions, getting a handle on money laundering is now simply about ensuring they avoid fines or reputational damage.”

“Our research is telling us that the current system just doesn’t go anywhere near deep enough to have a significant impact on the crux of the issues. For many, compliance has gotten in the way of the primary goal – how to identify and protect vulnerable victims.”

Call to action: ‘more collaboration and shared intelligence needed’

The research suggests banks and financial institutions, policy makers and law enforcement, need to come together in what is described as a Fin Crime Feedback Loop to better tackle money laundering challenges.

Many financial institutions are looking for more input and action from law enforcement bodies, with half of respondents (52 per cent) revealing that they currently do not feel well enough supported. Over a third (36 per cent) are calling for more shared industry intelligence.

A summary of key stats from The State of Anti-Money Laundering 2021:

Money laundering is a severe and pervasive societal challenge

• Over half of money laundering is slipping through the net, according to those surveyed
• 1 in 3 say it’s almost impossible to spot emerging criminal typologies, it’s hard to measure how often money laundering is happening, and it’s hard to quantify the impact
• 62 per cent say money laundering has become harder to spot over the last 12 months

So why isn’t compliance solving the problem?

• 1 in 6 compliance professionals say compliance is a stagnant culture
• The majority say compliance isn’t getting to the bottom of the issue
• And against all of this, most financial institutions are trying to comply whilst at the same time facing budget cuts of up to 25 per cent

The Fin Crime feedback loop – compliance, done well, has a huge societal impact

• 40 per cent of respondents believe that they would benefit from a central money laundering group to share intelligence across key industry stakeholders
• 92 per cent of those surveyed believe that the lack of collaboration between financial institutions, law enforcement and policy makers hinders progress

Enda continued, “Stopping these incidents at the point of transaction is really still only a small part of tackling the problem. There is work to do to look deeper into how we can look for early indicators of these often life changing offenses. For real change to happen, collaboration across the anti-money laundering industry is essential. This means law enforcement, policy makers, financial institutions and technology consistently working together more closely to share insights and intelligence.”

According to IDC research, 63% of CIOs in the Middle East have brought their digital roadmaps forward by at least one year as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. With digital acceleration in full swing, and many organizations now on their way to recovery, the IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2022 will explore the ongoing shift in priorities as it hosts some of the biggest names in ICT.

Taking place in a hybrid format, the 15th edition of this highly anticipated event will run under the theme 'Accelerating Your Journey to a Digital-First World', with a physical event taking place in Dubai on February 22 at the Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, to be followed by a two-day digital installment for the wider GCC region on February 23 and 24. 

The IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2022 will feature a series of presentations, panel discussions, real-life use cases, and individual technology tracks. With Days 2 and 3 hosted on IDC's fully immersive virtual platform, delegates will be able to explore a broad range of themes central to their ongoing digital journeys and take an exclusive look at the very latest developments in technological innovation.

"As the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic continues, and many organizations strive to recover, they are taking a digital-first approach to building resilience into their operations," says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC's group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. "This means that the journey to becoming a 'Future Enterprise' has accelerated, spurred by significant investments in new customer experiences, new digital ecosystem business models, digital supply chains, and 'Future of Work' models.

"This all needs to be supported by resilient, cloud-enabled digital infrastructure and applications, rapid app development, digital platforms, data-driven and AI-enabled intelligence, comprehensive security, and unwavering trust. Effective leadership, an appetite for innovation, a broad range of skills, and a sound strategy for addressing regulations will be key to driving the digital agenda. Technology suppliers must also adapt as they position their solutions and work with customers to help address these new priorities and buying requirements. 

"With all this in mind, the annual IDC Middle East CIO Summit is the place to come for thought-provoking, in-depth discussions about cutting-edge tech solutions, emerging use cases, and proven strategies for driving success. For 15 straight years, it has served as the ICT world's premium source of learning about the industry's latest developments."

Senior business leaders, influential IT heads, and respected industry analysts will converge on the IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2022 to share their collective expertise on how best to meet the unique challenges of these unprecedented times. Following the immense success of last year's event, the 2022 edition will see the return of the CIO Masterclass Arena that attendees can access throughout the course of the event. This section of the virtual platform will showcase a series of exclusive CXO best-practice presentations, fireside chats, and panel discussions with more than 50 international and regional industry pioneers.

Security Traders Association (STA) is pleased to today announce the recipients of the 2021 STA Foundation Awards. The annual STA Foundation Awards recognize individuals within the financial services industry who have made outstanding efforts in any of several areas, including stewardship and service, advocacy, philanthropy, and ethics.

The Dictum Meum Pactum (“My Word Is My Bond”) Award, which recognizes those individuals who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the betterment of the financial services industry, has been awarded to Tim Mahoney. Tim is the former CEO of BIDS Trading, a New York-based alternative trading system for U.S. equity block trading. Throughout his more than 40 years of experience in the industry, Tim has served as an example of integrity and professionalism. His service on countless committees, boards and panel discussions over the years reflects his steadfast commitment to the industry, and he remains an outstanding advocate for and guardian of our marketplace.

The STA Big Heart for Charity Award honors individuals within the financial services industry who serve their local communities while bringing a sense of dignity to people from all walks of life in their times of need. This year’s recipients of the Big Heart for Charity Award are Silvia Davi, Kate Faraday and Marc Wyatt.

Silvia Davi, President of V&S Strategic Consulting, has been a driver for change in her more than 20 years of experience in global marketing, communications and business development. In several of her roles, Silvia has been recognized for her instrumental part in developing social responsibility, citizenship and ESG programs to help firms better serve their communities. Since 2019, Silvia has also served as a board member of Tuesday’s Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities impacted by terrorism, military conflict or mass violence, and is one of the Board’s highest fundraisers of all time. Following the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Silvia’s work with Tuesday’s Children reminds us of the importance of supporting Gold Star families and impacted communities around the globe.

Kate Faraday, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at PineBridge, is already making an impact in her newly created role. As Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Kate leads the firm’s strategic practices to align with several areas of corporate and social responsibility, including diversity and inclusion, ESG and more. In addition, as an active member of the National Organization of Investment Professionals (NOIP) and 2020 Vice Chairman, Kate serves on a diverse team dedicated to fostering a favorable regulatory environment for institutional participation in fair, open and efficient securities markets. Kate’s leadership reflects our industry’s commitment to good stewardship and awareness of its duties to the community.

Marc Wyatt, Head of Global Trading at T. Rowe Price, serves on the board of directors of Wall Street Rides FAR (For Autism Research), an annual charity bike ride and trail walk benefitting the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), whose mission is to provide funding for critical research and improve the lives of those with autism spectrum disorder. Marc’s advocacy has helped raise awareness for the event, leading the effort to secure several of the largest global investment banks like Citi and Morgan Stanley as first-time sponsors of the event. Marc is also being recognized for his charitable work in the Baltimore area: He currently serves on the board of directors at the Baltimore Lab School, serving students with unique and diverse learning needs, as well as Catholic Charities of Baltimore.

“Leaders like Tim, Silvia, Kate and Marc are our industry’s best hope of leaving our markets and communities better for the next generation. Through their words and actions, they truly exemplify the ideals the STA Foundation Awards seek to recognize,” said Jim Toes, STA President and  CEO.