Driving Global Inclusion Through Communication

Tracy Prandi-Yuen, VP of Global Partnerships

Communication, Culture, and Inclusion as Business Strategy

Throughout the episode, one theme continues to emerge with striking clarity: communication is not just a soft skill for Tracy, it is a deliberate and essential business tool. What started as a personal hurdle during her journey became the superpower that helped her scale some of the most influential companies in the FinTech ecosystem.

Her experience at Visa as a young people manager taught her early on that leadership is more than giving direction, it is about ensuring your message is received as intended, which means tailoring delivery for impact. By practising communication daily, for a decade, she built muscle memory around how to lead, negotiate, and inspire.

At Meta, the culture of open dialogue took this to the next level. The environment not only allowed for challenging the status quo, it celebrated it. This shifted Tracy’s leadership from technically effective to holistically influential. She rediscovered her own voice and now carries it with her into her work at Boku, where she sees herself as both a business leader and a cultural role model.

She actively uses her platform to set a tone of openness, questioning, and inclusion. Her peers have acknowledged this; in a recent performance review, she was described as one of the few at Boku who is willing to challenge leadership strategy, a form of advocacy that often goes unspoken but plays a vital role in organisational progress.

Scaling with Sensitivity: What Global FinTech Clients Really Need

One of the key differentiators in Boku’s offering is its focus on local payment methods rather than international cards. This niche, once peripheral, is becoming increasingly central as the global economy grows more interconnected. But delivering successful local payment products isn’t only about technical infrastructure. It requires cultural literacy.

As Tracy explains, understanding the lives of people on the ground, from societal norms to behavioural habits, is non-negotiable when building financial technology that scales across borders. Her own life as a “serial immigrant”, living and working across Taiwan, the US, Singapore, and now Italy, makes her uniquely equipped to understand these nuances.

This isn’t simply about customer empathy. It’s also a critical hiring signal. In an increasingly globalised FinTech landscape, companies need to prioritise hiring talent that brings cultural perspective, global fluency, and the ability to build authentic partnerships in varied markets. This is precisely where FinTech recruitment specialists, like Harrington Starr, can offer unmatched value.

Tracy’s leadership in growing Boku’s partnerships, helping to drive $7 billion in local payments without touching international cards, demonstrates how culturally sensitive product and partnership strategies can achieve massive commercial impact.

Creating Brave Spaces: How to Inspire Others to Speak Up

Another standout insight from this episode is the concept of “self-inclusion.” Tracy urges the industry to look beyond traditional notions of inclusion that focus solely on making space for others. True inclusion, she argues, is a two-way street. It also involves individuals choosing to participate, raising their voices, and allowing themselves to be included.

This perspective reframes inclusion as something proactive, not passive. And it places equal responsibility on leaders to foster brave spaces as it does on team members to step into those spaces. This philosophy is more than theoretical for Tracy, it’s something she lives. She uses her voice as a tool to model inclusion and inspire others to do the same.

Whether she’s mentoring colleagues, coaching her team, or contributing to strategy at the leadership level, Tracy consistently advocates for communication with clarity, kindness, and courage. It’s not just about being heard, it’s about being heard in a way that drives positive, lasting change.

Empowering Managers: Why Middle Leadership Is the Inclusion Engine

A significant call to action that Tracy makes during the episode is the empowerment of people managers. While senior executives may set the tone for inclusion, it is middle managers who operationalise it. They are the ones delivering feedback, nurturing careers, and modelling the daily behaviours that shape workplace culture.

Tracy stresses that people managers should be encouraged to take inclusion actions, to use their positions not just for performance management, but for cultural leadership. They must feel supported when delivering difficult truths with tact, helping individuals bridge skill gaps, and facilitating growth without causing demotivation.

This point is crucial for FinTech companies undergoing scaling. It is often during rapid growth phases that culture can suffer. Yet, with the right management training and hiring support, businesses can ensure that inclusion becomes embedded in the DNA of their expansion, not bolted on as an afterthought.

FinTech recruiters who understand the significance of these roles, and the skillsets required to fill them, are uniquely positioned to support this evolution. Whether placing an inclusive product lead or a global partnership manager with cultural fluency, it’s about more than filling jobs. It’s about building the right leadership infrastructure for the future of FinTech.

Metrics That Matter: Inclusion and Business Growth Go Hand-in-Hand

Importantly, Tracy does not treat inclusion as a standalone moral imperative. For her, it is a business imperative. She draws a clear link between inclusive communication and organisational performance. The stronger the communication, the better the collaboration. The more inclusive the culture, the higher the engagement. The more global the thinking, the broader the client success.

Boku’s recent growth metrics, including a 34% revenue increase and a surge to $7 billion in payment volume, speak for themselves. But Tracy also points to intangible results: energised teams, long-lasting client partnerships, and a culture where people feel safe to speak, challenge, and grow.

This is the kind of organisational maturity that FinTech’s of all sizes should aspire to. And it is the kind of talent strategy that Harrington Starr advocates for. Hiring the right leaders isn’t just about experience, it’s about mindset, values, and the ability to align personal leadership with company mission.

Final Thoughts: Inclusion as a Career-Defining Force

As the episode concludes, one thing becomes clear: Tracy Prandi-Yuen’s story is not just about professional growth. It’s about personal transformation. From an 11-year-old immigrant who didn’t speak English to a FinTech executive advising some of the world’s biggest merchants, her journey is proof that challenges can become strengths, and that leadership, at its best, is always human.

Her emphasis on communication as a learned skill, her perspective on inclusion as a shared responsibility, and her success in building cross-border FinTech partnerships form a masterclass in how to lead meaningfully in this sector.

For FinTech recruiters, hiring managers, and business leaders, the message is simple: inclusion, communication, and global awareness aren’t optional. They are essential traits for the next generation of FinTech leadership.

As a FinTech recruitment business operating at the intersection of innovation and talent, Harrington Starr is proud to amplify voices like Tracy’s, and to continue connecting businesses with the people who will help shape a more inclusive, successful future for financial technology.

 

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