Wharton@Work

November 2018 | Finance

Fearless in Fintech: Learning to Embrace Disruption

Like most disruptive changes, fintech was first met with fear. The big question just a few years ago was whether banks and other financial institutions would even survive the rise of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain technologies. Today, with major players still standing, the industry is in varying degrees cooperating with, tolerating, and even embracing fintech.

It is in this phase of disruption that a new one-day summit for finance executives is launching. The Wharton-sponsored Fearless in Fintech brings together 25 C-suite speakers, most of them women, to explore not just how to work with fintech, but how to drive disruption. Sessions on disruptive thinking, the changing consumer, intrapreneurship in traditional firms, and leading the data transformation will help attendees advance fintech in their organizations, whether incumbent or start-up.

Serguei Netessine, Wharton’s vice dean of Global Initiatives, is the December 3 event co-chair. The global thought leader on business model innovation and director of Wharton’s Business Model Innovation in the Age of AI program will moderate a panel on financial business model innovation that explores how models can be adapted to fit the unique needs of organizations. Panelists from Casoro Capital, Prudential Financial, Bank of Montreal, and Wells Fargo will also discuss the tools needed to innovate and the requirements of leadership for driving the new model.

Sessions on disruptive thinking, the changing consumer, intrapreneurship in traditional firms, and leading the data transformation will help attendees advance fintech in their organizations, whether incumbent or start-up.

"Redefining Leadership around Uncertainty and Disruption," led by Morningstar’s Chief Product Officer Tricia Rothschild, will examine how leadership has been redefined by the world’s foremost financial institutions. Attendees will learn proactive steps for elevating or maintaining their influence in today’s uncertain and increasingly digital financial landscape.

Another highlight of the conference, which will be held at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, is a disruptive thinking workshop. Because massive changes have rendered traditional ways of thinking no longer applicable, fintech innovators will discuss how to adopt a disruptive mindset. Offering advice and tools that can be applied immediately, the session shows how agility, adaptability, and creativity are needed to out-maneuver the competition and advance your career.

The Fearless in Fintech event will not only prepare finance leaders for today’s challenges, but will also look forward to tomorrow’s. Wharton MBA students and a president of Wharton FinTech will lead a session on integrating new hires and preparing future fintech leaders. Addressing the need to maintain a competitive and innovative workforce, panelists will share the best approaches for leaders to guide their successors and create a culture of continuous improvement.

The power of diversity to build more competitive and resilient organizations is a theme that runs through several sessions. As panelist Della Shea, Symcor’s vice president of Data Governance and chief privacy officer, notes, “Advancing our industry and collaborating in order to compete begins with how we build our teams. Leaders who consistently embrace diversity in age, ethnicity, and gender as core to how they live their lives don’t just add capabilities and experience; they reach a deeper understanding of the world and the marketplace that is evolving around them.”

Speaker Rachel Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of Intrinio, says, “I envision a future where the presence and success of women in finance is normalized. It's a future where there's no need for female-focused events; instead, we just have events and feature women naturally because they deserve to be there. We are not living in that world yet. Events like Fearless in Fintech give us an opportunity to take a step towards it, and it's an honor to be a part of that movement.”

To register for Fearless in Fintech, and for more information about the agenda and speakers, visit www.fearlessinfintech.com.