Driving Real Inclusion in FinTech
On the latest episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, Nadia is joined by Louisa Schepers, Head of Marketing at Zodia Custody, to explore the realities of inclusion within the financial technology space. From breaking into male-dominated tech scenes to building marketing functions from scratch, Louisa shares a deeply personal and actionable perspective on what it means to truly walk the talk when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in FinTech.
As a FinTech recruitment business committed to building more equitable and forward-thinking workplaces, Harrington Starr is proud to amplify voices like Louisa’s—voices that are challenging norms, reshaping narratives, and creating opportunities for more inclusive representation in FinTech jobs, leadership, and beyond.
Championing Institutional Trust in the Digital Asset Space
Louisa begins by introducing Zodia Custody, a company rooted in empowering institutions to embrace the digital asset future without sacrificing the integrity and trust of traditional finance. The firm is committed to offering digital asset solutions that meet the standards of security, compliance, and governance that institutional clients expect. Their mission is clear: to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital innovation.
This emphasis on trust and credibility sets the stage for the broader discussion around inclusion. Just as Zodia Custody strives to uphold the highest standards in product delivery, Louisa is equally passionate about maintaining high standards when it comes to internal culture, representation, and belonging.
A Career Built on Strategy, Creativity, and Bold Thinking
Louisa describes herself as a builder at heart. Throughout her career, she has sought out roles that allow her to create and shape from the ground up. With a background rooted in strategy and creativity, she has spent years working in tech-focused environments, from AI startups to consultancy firms, always gravitating toward innovation-driven marketing roles.
One of her earliest growth hacking successes involved transforming her CEO’s modest Twitter account—just 87 followers—into a powerful PR tool with over 2,000 followers in a matter of months, leading to valuable media coverage and investor interest.
This ability to think creatively, move fast, and tell compelling stories has remained a consistent thread in her career. At Zodia Custody, she’s applied that same mindset to building the company’s marketing department from scratch. When she joined, there was no existing strategy in place, but with a bold vision and lean resources, she created a full marketing operation now active across seven markets. From communications to PR, design to events, Louisa has helped establish Zodia Custody as a credible and engaging brand within the digital asset space.
What Inclusion Really Means in FinTech
When Nadia asks what inclusion means to her personally, Louisa offers a definition that goes far beyond the surface. Inclusion, she says, is not just about being in the room—it’s about being heard, valued, and empowered. This definition is rooted in both her academic and professional experiences.
While studying history and English at Freie Universität Berlin, Louisa focused her coursework on gender identity and power dynamics. These studies were a major turning point in her life. She became increasingly aware of how systems can exclude people—often without any malicious intent. This academic grounding shaped her lens and later informed how she navigated the tech sector.
Upon entering the startup and tech world in Berlin, Louisa was filled with excitement about innovation and opportunity. But as she moved quickly into leadership roles, she was struck by the subtle and not-so-subtle biases that persisted. Colleagues would make comments such as, “this is really good—for a young woman,” revealing how perceptions of competence were often filtered through gender. These early experiences were jarring, especially as she saw how much harder she had to work to be taken seriously compared to her male peers.
Even in progressive cities like London, Louisa notes that the digital asset space remains deeply male-dominated. At events, she often finds herself one of only a few women in a sea of sixty-plus men. She recalls regularly having to argue with event organisers to ensure gender balance on speaker panels. Often, if a male colleague is listed as a speaker, she can predict the rest of the panel will be entirely male. It’s a constant fight, but one she believes is necessary—not just for fairness, but for the health and sustainability of the entire industry.
Representation Shapes Perception
One of the most powerful ideas Louisa shares is the connection between representation and perception. Who we see on stage, in the press, and quoted in industry reports informs our unconscious beliefs about who holds authority, who is competent, and who deserves to lead.
When the majority of voices featured in FinTech are white, middle-aged men, it becomes easy—even automatic—to associate that demographic with expertise. As a result, hiring, promotion, and media opportunities often skew in the same direction. Louisa emphasises that these patterns are rarely the result of intentional exclusion. Instead, they are the outcome of unconscious bias, shaped by lifelong social conditioning.
This is where diversity and inclusion intersect directly with business outcomes. If FinTech companies are serious about innovation and excellence, they need to surface a broader spectrum of insight, experience, and perspective. That doesn’t just mean inviting underrepresented voices into the room—it means actively seeking them out, listening, and giving them influence.
From Awareness to Action in the Workplace
While raising awareness is a crucial first step, Louisa insists that talk is not enough. The FinTech industry is full of conversations about inclusion, but without structural change, nothing will improve. Companies must move from statements to systems—from intention to infrastructure.
At Zodia Custody, inclusion is not treated as an afterthought or a PR campaign. Instead, it’s embedded in how the company operates. For International Women’s Day, the business didn’t stop at a LinkedIn post. Instead, they hosted an internal panel discussion that brought together female leaders from across departments to reflect on their experiences, ask hard questions, and identify areas for improvement. That panel became a catalyst for change. It led to the formation of an internal women’s community that now meets regularly to support one another, share feedback, and hold the company accountable.
Another initiative Louisa highlights is Zodia’s involvement in the “No All-Male Panels” campaign led by the Association of Women in Cryptocurrency. This campaign asks male leaders to commit to declining speaking invitations if they are the only non-woman on the panel. It’s a small but powerful act of allyship that’s beginning to shift the makeup of industry events.
Louisa also advocates for gender bias training across all levels of an organisation. Because so much exclusion is rooted in blind spots, training helps surface and correct those unconscious biases before they can do harm. Ultimately, she believes the companies that succeed in creating inclusive cultures are those that treat diversity and inclusion as everyday priorities—not isolated initiatives.
Building Inclusive Cultures in FinTech Starts at the Top
Nadia closes the conversation with a question about what businesses can do to move from performative allyship to authentic inclusion. Louisa’s answer is clear and decisive: it starts with leadership. If leadership teams are not diverse, then efforts to build inclusive workplaces will remain superficial.
FinTech leaders must examine their company’s decision-making layers and consider who holds real influence. It’s not enough to aim for 50 percent gender representation in hiring if women and underrepresented individuals are not included in senior roles. True change happens when leadership reflects the diversity of the people they serve and creates space for those voices to shape culture, strategy, and product development.
Louisa encourages listeners to question their own actions and assumptions—whether writing job specs, interviewing candidates, or selecting panel speakers. Inclusion is not about perfection, but about intentionality. Every decision, every conversation, every hiring process is an opportunity to be more inclusive.
She ends the episode with a reminder that inclusion isn’t a trend. It’s not a momentary initiative or a box to tick. It is the foundation for a stronger, smarter, and more future-ready FinTech industry.
Why FinTech Recruitment Needs to Prioritise DEI
At Harrington Starr, we see first-hand how diverse and inclusive teams drive innovation and performance across financial services and technology. As a FinTech recruitment agency, we’re committed to connecting companies with exceptional talent from all backgrounds, and we know that embedding DEI into your hiring strategy isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a competitive advantage.
This conversation between Nadia and Louisa offers a blueprint for how to move from awareness to action. It reminds us that culture is not built in isolation. It’s built through leadership, policies, and people—through the everyday choices that define who we are and what kind of industry we want to create.
Whether you’re scaling a FinTech start-up, growing a digital assets business, or expanding your leadership team, make inclusion part of your foundation. At Harrington Starr, we’re here to help you do exactly that.
Harrington Starr is a leading global FinTech recruitment business, dedicated to connecting the world’s most innovative financial technology companies with exceptional talent. Since our founding in 2010, we’ve worked across the full spectrum of FinTech—from trading platforms and digital assets to banking infrastructure and SaaS—helping businesses scale with the right people and expertise. Our award-winning team operates internationally, delivering tailored recruitment solutions across software engineering, sales, marketing, data, infrastructure, and executive leadership. At Harrington Starr, we don’t just fill jobs—we build careers and shape the future of FinTech by championing diversity, promoting inclusion, and driving industry-wide progress through initiatives like The Financial Technologist magazine, the Top 1% Workplace Awards, and our DEI Discussions podcast series.
