Empowered Teams, Inclusive Leadership

Driving Inclusive Leadership and FinTech Innovation

In a compelling live-recorded episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, hosted by Nadia at the Pay360 2025 conference, Nanna Bergmann, General Manager at Moonrise by Lunar, sits down for an insightful and empowering conversation. The discussion covers everything from building psychologically safe teams in high-growth environments, to navigating fragmented banking infrastructure across the Nordics, and the importance of recognising unconscious bias in the financial technology industry.

As a leading FinTech recruitment business, Harrington Starr is proud to spotlight conversations like this—conversations that walk the talk for equity and inclusion while addressing the realities of scale, leadership, and innovation in today’s financial services landscape. This episode offers an honest, practical, and inspiring look at how inclusion and innovation can coexist—and flourish—in FinTech.

A Non-Traditional Path to FinTech Leadership

One of the most striking aspects of this episode is the route Nanna Bergmann took into the FinTech space. Unlike many of her peers, Nanna didn’t come from a traditional finance background. Instead, she started her career in consumer goods—an experience she says taught her the power of a strong brand and the importance of understanding unit economics. Both of these skills have proved invaluable as she’s progressed through a diverse career path that now sees her at the helm of one of the most forward-thinking banking solutions in the Nordics.

From consumer goods, she transitioned into Big Tech, spending several years at Google. There, Nanna gained an appreciation for the advantages of truly exceptional technology, particularly when it comes to enabling scalability and efficiency. She also learned how to run a world-class sales operation, skills she has since applied in more hands-on, fast-paced environments.

Drawn to a more agile and entrepreneurial setting, Nanna entered the start-up world, eventually joining a UK clearing bank where she helped build the business from the ground up. She was part of the journey from initial foundations to commercial launch—an experience that shaped her understanding of what it takes to launch, grow, and lead in financial services.

Now, as General Manager at Moonrise by Lunar, Nanna is using all of this experience to lead a new chapter in cross-border banking and FinTech innovation.

Breaking Down Fragmentation in the Nordic Banking Landscape

Moonrise by Lunar exists to address a very real problem in the global FinTech space—access to the Nordic banking infrastructure. As Nanna outlines, Moonrise is a fully regulated bank serving regulated payment firms, electronic money institutions (EMIs), and other financial institutions that need local access to accounts, payout capabilities, and clearing schemes in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

The Nordic region, while advanced in many areas of technology and digital innovation, suffers from significant fragmentation in its payment systems. Each country has developed its own unique payment infrastructure, local rails, and alternative payment methods, making cross-border transactions complex, inefficient, and expensive. Nanna explains that this has been a long-standing issue, made even more apparent by the collapse of P27—a once-promising initiative to create a joint Nordic infrastructure that ultimately failed to come to fruition in 2024.

For global financial institutions and payment firms, this fragmentation poses a major obstacle. Many are eager to do business in the Nordics, given the volume of payments flowing in and out of the region. However, the lack of unified access makes this incredibly difficult. Moonrise steps in to offer a simplified, cloud-native, single-API solution that removes legacy constraints and brings genuine accessibility to a market that was previously hard to enter.

By solving this issue, Moonrise is not only creating a vital bridge for payments across the region—it is also carving out an important space for FinTech professionals. As FinTech recruitment experts, we recognise that solving systemic infrastructure problems creates huge demand for skilled professionals in engineering, product, data, compliance, and beyond. Businesses like Moonrise are a prime example of where the next generation of FinTech jobs will be created.

Inclusive Leadership and the Value of Psychological Safety

In discussing her leadership style, Nanna brings a refreshing, people-first approach to the table—one that resonates deeply with the DEI mission of the podcast and the values we champion at Harrington Starr. Her philosophy? Psychological safety is the foundation of any high-performing, high-growth team.

Nanna emphasises that as a leader, particularly in a fast-paced, scaling FinTech environment, it is unrealistic and counterproductive to try and control every detail. Instead, the most successful leaders empower their teams to do what they do best. She believes that every team member should feel safe, trusted, and capable of making decisions without fear of failure or reprimand. This sense of ownership and autonomy leads not only to better results but also to more fulfilled, motivated teams.

She explains that her team members often have more technical knowledge or domain-specific expertise than she does—and that’s a strength, not a threat. By stepping back and supporting her team from behind, Nanna creates a culture where people can truly thrive.

This approach has huge implications for talent attraction and retention. In our work placing candidates into FinTech jobs, we regularly hear that workplace culture and leadership styles are just as important as salary or benefits. Inclusive, empowering leadership is no longer a bonus—it’s a requirement for today’s top talent.

Choosing the Right Manager: A Game-Changer for Career Development

When Nadia asks Nanna what advice she would give to others navigating the current FinTech careers landscape—especially in the wake of the downturn seen over the last two years—her answer is clear: choose your manager wisely.

While ambition and work ethic are certainly important, Nanna points out that career growth is often dictated by what is said about you when you’re not in the room. A good manager is someone who believes in you, supports your development, and advocates for your progression internally. This kind of sponsorship can make or break a career, especially in fast-moving industries like FinTech.

From a FinTech recruitment perspective, this advice couldn’t be more relevant. At Harrington Starr, we regularly counsel candidates to consider the leadership and support structure of any role—not just the job description or salary package. A manager who invests in your growth, understands your strengths, and creates space for you to succeed is worth their weight in gold.

 Unconscious Bias: The Invisible Barrier to Inclusion in FinTech

No discussion on diversity and inclusion would be complete without addressing unconscious bias. When asked what inclusion and equality mean to her, Nanna reflects honestly on the fact that true inclusion requires everyone to be able to bring their full, authentic selves to the table—without that being a disadvantage to their progress or success.

But achieving that kind of environment is far from simple. Nanna candidly acknowledges that unconscious bias affects us all, including herself. These ingrained perceptions—based on race, gender, background, or other characteristics—often operate below our conscious awareness. And because we’re not always aware of them, they’re difficult to challenge.

For inclusion to be meaningful, we must first recognise that bias exists, and then take active steps to address it. This could involve challenging our assumptions, seeking out different perspectives, or simply being more observant of our own behaviours and reactions.

This point is particularly salient for hiring managers and leadership teams. In FinTech recruitment, we often see how unconscious bias can affect hiring decisions, performance reviews, and promotions. That’s why at Harrington Starr, we work with our clients to help build more inclusive hiring processes—ones that focus on potential, capability, and cultural contribution, rather than fitting into a narrow mould.

Inclusion is Everyone’s Responsibility

Nanna ends the podcast with a powerful reminder that inclusion isn’t just the job of senior leadership or HR teams. It’s a shared responsibility across every level of an organisation. Everyone, regardless of their title or tenure, has the capacity to contribute to a more inclusive workplace.

Her advice is to pay attention to your own behaviours. Notice when bias might be affecting your thinking, and make the conscious choice to counteract it. This might mean questioning your instincts, listening more deeply to others, or creating space for different voices to be heard.

Inclusion, she says, starts with observation. By becoming more aware of how we think and act, we create the opportunity to change those behaviours and foster a more equitable environment.

This message aligns perfectly with Harrington Starr’s belief that diversity and inclusion are not optional add-ons—they are core to building resilient, high-performing FinTech teams. Whether you're a CEO, an engineer, or a new joiner, you have a role to play in shaping the culture around you. 

Conclusion: A Call to Action for the FinTech Industry

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, recorded live at Pay360 2025, offers one of the most valuable conversations we’ve heard in the ongoing journey toward building better, more inclusive businesses. Nanna Bergmann, with her wide-ranging experience and grounded leadership style, provides both inspiration and practical guidance for FinTech professionals at every stage of their journey.

Her insights into the challenges of scaling responsibly, solving complex infrastructure problems, and leading with empathy are lessons that apply across the board—from start-ups to scale-ups, from developers to CEOs.

As a FinTech recruitment agency committed to helping companies and candidates thrive, Harrington Starr is proud to amplify voices like Nanna’s. Because building the future of financial technology requires more than just innovation—it requires inclusion, integrity, and intentional action.