Prospend Sharon Nouh: Breaking Stereotypes and Building a Fintech.

Dexter Cousins is joined by Sharon Nouh, Founder and CEO  of Prospend in episode 175 of Fintech Chatter.

Prospend automates and digitises all of the business spend processes for businesses.  They build next-generation finance tools that empower businesses to make proactive financial decisions while also enabling their people to be more productive.

Throughout ProSpend's journey, Sharon has maintained a laser focus on solving challenges for mid to larger businesses and has competed with global players. ProSpend is now recognized as a world-class solution with more than 600 customers, reflecting Sharon’s understanding of customer needs and her ability to provide solutions that address real problems.

Prospend - Creating the Spend Management Category of Fintech

Sharon pioneered the expense management market in Australia by developing and launching the first locally built expense management platform. At that time, expense management technology was in its infancy.

Although the original version was simple, it provided a powerful alternative to businesses managing their processes manually.

However, Sharon didn't stop at automating expenses. She foresaw a desire among businesses to automate all their spending processes within a unified platform. Two years later, she incorporated accounts payable automation into the platform, establishing herself as a global pioneer in this technology, not just in Australia.

Sharon, who has a deep understanding of the intricacies of financial technology, has been able to leverage and develop technology that addresses real business problems, as opposed to merely following trends.

About Sharon Nouh

Sharon's journey as a female entrepreneur in the predominantly male fintech sector has had its challenges. In the early days, she faced difficulties securing venture capital funding due to a lack of confidence and role models for female tech entrepreneurs. The company's growth is a testament to her unwavering belief in her vision and her dedication to success. She is passionate about fostering diversity in the fintech sector and hopes her story will inspire and encourage more women to pursue fintech careers.

Sharon's leadership has been pivotal in guiding ProSpend's growth and development. She has displayed her ability to inspire and lead a team, navigate challenges, foster a positive work culture, and adapt to changes in the fast-paced fintech landscape.

120: Koba Insurance, Andrew Wong

In episode 120 of the Fintech Chatter podcast, Dexter Cousins is joined by Andrew Wong of Koba Insurance.

Koba, a data-driven Australian car insurance company

Koba's offers comprehensive car insurance at a flat (whilst parked) fee, with an add on cost per km's driven. So, if you work from home and your car is sitting in your garage then you simply don't pay any extra. With an ever-growing number of cars linked to smart technology, this offers a fairer pricing option for many customers.

KOBA is led by an industry-leading insurance professionals team, not just a bunch of tech guys trying to solve insurance problems, they understand that technology gives them a competitive advantage.

Andrew is a senior executive with a background in digital and commercial marketing strategy. He has worked on the digital launch of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands for corporate environments and start-ups in global markets incl. US, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, China, and the UK.

He is a natural salesperson and performance-based marketeer with a dedication to gain rapid and measurable ROI. He has successfully assembled high-performing teams and navigated through complicated landscapes and chaos to achieve a collective vision.

Find out about Koba Insurance here

Find out about Andrew Wong here

A favour to ask

Fintech Chatter is free of sponsors and will always be free content. If you appreciate the interviews please help us promote the show by

Apple scroll to the bottom of the page (iphone or ipad only), hit 5 stars and write a review 

Spotify  in the app click 5 stars

Thanks for your support.

About Tier One People

Sympli hires Staffan Flodin

Sympli is disrupting the e-Conveyancing market by providing a safe, secure and fast way for Australians to exchange properties.

Tier One People were recently chosen by Sympli CEO Philip Joyce to search for a Chief Information Officer.

Sympli is a joint venture with ASX and Infotrack. The platform has scaled significantly in the last 12 months and with the four major banks planned to come on board in 2022, the time had come for the company to appoint its first CIO.

After a 3 week search, Tier One People were able to present a strong shortlist of candidates with Fintech experience. Most crucial was the proven ability to scale SaaS platforms, a skill set that is rare in Australia given the maturity stage of the local Fintech market.

Sympli felt they had found the right person in Staffan Flodin, who joins the business from Avant.

We wish Staffan and Sympli continued success.

Top Fintech executive search firm

Celebrating 5 years in business, here is a message from Tier One People's founder, Dexter Cousins.

Tier One People launched on 2nd June 2016 to provide executive search expertise to the Fintech industry.

As Joanne and I celebrate 5 years of Tier One People we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to....

Five Things I've learned from 5 years of Tier One People.

  1. Do the right thing by people - The measure of my success is how easily I can put my head on the pillow and sleep at night. Being nice is massively underrated.
  2. Learn to say 'No' - Shooting at rabbits scares off big game. In the early days, I chased after and said yes to everything. It created confusion for potential clients and I missed out on big opportunities. A big lesson learned which set me on the path of.....
  3. Focus - We laser-focused our vision in late 2017 to help Australia become the no1 destination for Fintech innovation and to become the leading executive search brand in Fintech. By finding a purpose bigger than Tier One and staying true to our vision we've attracted some of the world's most revered Fintech brands as clients.
  4. Believe it to achieve it - In 2016 Zip and Afterpay had just listed, Fintech Australia had just been formed and most of our clients didn't exist. It wasn't until late 2018 that Fintech began to take off in Australia. But our belief in the huge potential of the sector saw us through a lean two years.
  5. One day you are the pigeon the next you are the statue - In the early days, this was a metaphor/belief I had around luck and good fortune, but I've since changed its meaning to become a daily reminder If you stand still you will get shat on! If you don't want to be shat on from a great height, keep flying, don't stand still.

Matt Baxby Revolut CEO appointment

Matt Baxby Appointed Revolut CEO for Australia: How Executive Search Delivered the Perfect Fintech Leader

Leading executive search firm Tier One People partnered exclusively with global fintech giant Revolut to appoint Matt Baxby as Australia Country CEO.

Executive Search Excellence for Australia's Growing Fintech Sector

Global fintech leader Revolut has appointed Matt Baxby as Revolut's new Australia Country CEO, following an exclusive executive search conducted by Tier One People, a top executive search firm specializing in fintech companies Australia.

Why Matt Baxby Was the Right Choice for Revolut

Matt Baxby brings an exceptional combination of traditional banking expertise and entrepreneurial mindset to Revolut Australia. His experience includes working directly under Sir Richard Branson at Virgin, where he developed a deep understanding of disruptive financial services—crucial experience for leading one of the world's fastest-growing fintech companies in Australia.

Our relationship with Matt Baxby goes back to 2010, when he spearheaded the relaunch of Virgin Money Australia. We had the privilege of helping him build that founding team through our executive search process, which gave us unique insight into his leadership capabilities and cultural fit for Revolut's ambitious Australian fintech expansion.

Revolut's Explosive Growth: A Case Study in Fintech Success

The timing of Matt Baxby's Revolut appointment is particularly significant. The announcement coincided with Revolut's latest funding round—a massive US$500 million investment at a US$5.5 billion valuation, cementing its position among elite fintech companies Australia is watching closely.

When our executive search firm first started discussions with Revolut in May 2019, the company had 4 million customer accounts and 700 employees worldwide. Today, those numbers have exploded to 10 million accounts and 2,000 employees. The business nearly tripled in size during the executive search and onboarding process alone—a testament to Revolut's momentum in the global fintech market.

How Top Executive Search Firms Navigate Complex Fintech Recruitment

This executive search process stood out for all the right reasons. The Revolut team proved to be an absolute dream to partner with from start to finish.

Throughout the entire process, our Tier One People team—recognised as a top executive search firm for Australian fintech and technology companies—worked as a remote extension of Revolut's Singapore-based recruitment team. The level of transparency, collaboration, and open communication transformed what could have easily become a complex, multi-country executive search into a remarkably smooth operation.

The Future of Fintech Companies in Australia

We're excited to see Matt Baxby lead Revolut's charge into the Australian market. The combination of his proven track record in challenger banking and Revolut's global fintech expertise creates a powerful foundation for success in the competitive Australian fintech landscape.

As fintech companies Australia-wide continue to disrupt traditional banking, Revolut is positioned to become a major player under Matt Baxby's leadership. His experience launching and scaling innovative financial services brands makes him ideally suited for this role.

Partner with a Top Executive Search Firm for Your Fintech Leadership Needs

The entire Tier One People team wishes Matt Baxby and the Revolut team every success as they bring their innovative financial products to Australian consumers. As a top executive search firm specializing in fintech companies Australia, we look forward to continuing this partnership as the business grows.

Looking for executive search expertise for your fintech company? Tier One People specialises in placing C-suite leaders across Australian fintech and technology sectors.