Platform’s first employee recognised for regulatory expertise

Edinburgh, 5 March 2020: LendingCrowd, the only fintech lending platform headquartered in Scotland, is delighted to announce that Helen McKay, its Risk & Compliance Officer, has been recognised in the Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Powerlist 2019.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March, the Powerlist shines a spotlight on the women leading innovation in financial services. Helen has been recognised in Innovate Finance’s list of leading policymakers and regulatory experts alongside representatives from the Bank of England, the Central Bank of Bahrain, Ant Financial and FinTech Australia.

Helen joined LendingCrowd in 2014 as its first employee, in the role of Senior Credit Risk Specialist. She was instrumental in building the platform’s lending policy and affordability assessments, ensuring appropriate compliance was in place from the outset. Helen’s invaluable experience helped LendingCrowd to become the first SME-focused fintech lender to move from interim to full Financial Conduct Authority permission in 2017.

As the LendingCrowd team has grown, Helen has used her knowledge and experience to ensure that compliance remains at the very core of its business.

Helen said: “I joined LendingCrowd because I knew it could make a key difference to small businesses that were finding it difficult to get funding. I also saw a new challenge to use the skills and knowledge gained from my banking career to help a start-up business – an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day.”

Clare Black, Director of Corporate Affairs & Communications at Innovate Finance, said: “We were delighted to receive so many high-quality applications this year and grateful to our panel of prestigious judges who helped us to select the women who are moving the dial in fintech.

“I am confident that the Powerlist and other events that are part of our Women in FinTech initiative are paving the way to a fairer and more inclusive sector, although we cannot underestimate the distance we still have to travel to achieve this.”

Helen is a Fellow of the Chartered Banker Institute. Last year she was appointed Vice Chair of the Institute’s Membership Forum and Chairperson of its Edinburgh, Fife & Lothians District Centre.

LendingCrowd founder and CEO Stuart Lunn said: “I’m delighted to see Helen’s expertise recognised by Innovate Finance. As the first employee to join LendingCrowd, she played a vital role in our development and continues to make a significant contribution to our ongoing growth.”