The fintech sector thrives on innovation and the 2024 Fintech Awards have highlighted exceptional individuals and companies pushing the boundaries of technology in finance. This year’s winners have not only excelled in their specific areas but have also set new standards for the application of technology in the financial industry.
Celebrating the Winners and Their Impact
Claire Maillet is our Fintech Leader of the Year for her transformative impact on financial crime prevention and dedication to diversity and inclusion. As Director of Financial Crime Operations and a PhD researcher, she has successfully integrated her professional expertise with academic insights, offering a unique perspective. Claire has significantly enhanced financial crime awareness within her company by organizing fraud awareness events and establishing internal communication channels.
Her advocacy extends to raising awareness for individuals with stammering and invisible disabilities, promoting inclusivity through training and personal advocacy. Claire has also shown remarkable support during a period of significant team reductions, helping affected employees transition to new opportunities.
Recognized as an expert in insider fraud, Claire contributes to academic literature and collaborates with other researchers. Her upcoming video podcast series, “Fraudible,” aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and practitioner experiences, fostering collaboration and innovation in the fraud space. Additionally, Claire’s work in diversity and inclusion, particularly around disability, has driven positive change in the workplace for both staff and customers.
Claire’s leadership, innovative contributions, and commitment to inclusivity make her a truly deserving Fintech Leader of the Year. Her recognition for multiple awards, including the Tacking Economic Crime Awards, further underscores her impact and dedication to the field.
Fnu Samaah of US Bank takes home our Best AI/ML Tech Award, showcasing an unparalleled blend of innovation, expertise, and real-world impact in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Her groundbreaking research on enhancing cybersecurity through machine learning, particularly her work on predicting malware using supervised models, has demonstrated exceptional technical proficiency and practical relevance.
Fnu’s innovative use of Random Forest algorithms to achieve 99% accuracy in malware detection exemplifies her ability to push the boundaries of AI technology. Moreover, her dedication to operationalizing these models ensures they are not just theoretical but are poised to offer robust protection against cyber threats in real-world applications. Fnu’s contributions are further underscored by her extensive feature engineering and model explainability efforts, which provide crucial insights into AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. Her commitment to advancing technology while maintaining a strong focus on practical implementation and societal impact makes Fnu Samaah a deserving recipient of the Best AI/ML Tech Award.
Good Lioness takes home the Fintech Innovation Award for their transformative advancements in investment technology. Their proprietary algorithms correct inherent biases in current investment models, offering superior performance and portfolio optimization with better risk-adjusted returns and diversification techniques. This innovation allows investors to make more informed financial decisions.
Led by Dr. Brindha Gunasingham, an expert in quantitative investment, Good Lioness has developed a system based on over 30 years of data across six global markets. Their technology has demonstrated significant outperformance, achieving 35-40% better returns compared to traditional methods using S&P 500 constituent equities. The technology ensures accurate risk exposure, providing transparency and control in investment strategies.
Industry professionals have praised Good Lioness for uncovering critical issues and providing solutions that could redefine fiduciary responsibilities. This recognition, along with their substantial performance improvements and industry acclaim, underscores why Good Lioness is a leader in fintech innovation.
Dinesh Kalla of Microsoft is our deserving recipient of the Rising Star Award, recognized for his contributions to cybersecurity through the application of AI and machine learning. His work in developing advanced algorithms for detecting phishing emails and websites has set new industry standards, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Big Data, AI, ML, Data Lake, and Azure Databricks.
His contributions to notable research papers, such as “Emotet Malware – A Banking Credentials Stealer” and “Phishing Detection Implementation Using Databricks and Artificial Intelligence”, published in prestigious journals, demonstrate the efficacy and innovation of his methods. Kalla’s innovative approach and his successful implementation of the “Phish Catch” algorithm have earned him global recognition, including a 2024 Global Recognition Award for his outstanding achievements in technology and AI. This award highlights his significant impact on enhancing cybersecurity measures and his contributions to the broader AI and ML fields.
2024 Fintech Awards Finalists
- Highen Fintech Labs – Rising Star Award, Fintech Leader of the Year
- Dinesh Kalla – Best AI/ML Tech, Fintech Innovation Award
- Claire Maillet – Fintech Innovation Award
Closing Remarks
This year’s Fintech Awards underscore the remarkable achievements of our winners who have not only advanced their fields but have also set new benchmarks for the application of technology in finance. Their dedication and innovative approaches provide a roadmap for others in the industry, showcasing the power of technology to solve complex problems and improve countless lives through safer, more efficient financial services.
Each of these leaders exemplifies the spirit of innovation and commitment required to push the boundaries of fintech. As we celebrate their achievements, we also look forward to the future innovations they will bring to the financial world.
