How a Grassroots DEI Task Force Transformed a FinTech Startup

Building Inclusion from the Ground Up in FinTech

On this episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, host Nadia is joined by Rebekah Fox, Chief People Officer at Upvest. Together, they explore what inclusion really means, how companies can embed diversity and belonging into their foundations, and why courage and authenticity are vital in today’s environment.

Rebekah brings a wealth of experience from her career journey, including a decade at Meta, to her current role in Berlin at Upvest. She explains how the company is tackling systemic wealth inequality through its investment API, and why its mission to make investing as easy as spending money is resonating so strongly. Most importantly, she outlines the steps Upvest has taken to build a grassroots approach to DEI, and the real results that have followed.

For anyone interested in inclusion within FinTech or how to translate ambition into action, this conversation is packed with practical insights.

A Career Rooted in People and Inclusion

Rebekah begins by describing her journey to becoming Chief People Officer. Originally from Dublin, she explains how her career started in sales because of her natural interest in talking to people and understanding what makes them tick. This interest in people then led her into HR almost twenty years ago, at a time when the profession itself was developing.

She worked first with small consultancies, then a large consultancy, before moving to Meta. Her time at Meta spanned a decade, during which she supported what she describes as “hyper mega turbo growth.” The company transitioned from being an American organisation to becoming a truly global one, and she played a key role in building out teams across EMEA and APAC.

For Rebekah, that expansion was intrinsically linked with inclusion and belonging. Working across different cultural contexts meant navigating new nuances, and making sure teams felt valued and understood wherever they were. That, she explains, is where her passion lies, helping people be their best, most authentic selves. It is this passion that has carried through her career, and why she continues to focus on inclusion.

Upvest’s Mission to Democratise Wealth

Today, Rebekah is based in Berlin and leading the people function at Upvest, a FinTech startup on its way to becoming a scaleup. She describes her role as looking after every piece of the “people puzzle,” overseeing all aspects of the employee experience.

Upvest’s mission is bold and clear: to make investing as easy as spending money. The company’s investment API offers a clean, modular solution for financial institutions, banks, FinTechs, and other providers to deliver trading, brokerage, and custody services to their customers. Enabling fractional trading, allows people to invest from as little as one euro.

Rebekah explains that this is about more than convenience. It is about tackling wealth inequality and breaking down systemic barriers. By lowering the threshold for investing, Upvest is democratising access and helping to address generational wealth divides. For her personally, it follows a thread that has run throughout her career: confronting inequality and access. In the past, that meant focusing on education and employment. Now, it means tackling wealth inequality directly.

What Inclusion Really Means

When asked by Nadia what inclusion means to her, Rebekah offers a thoughtful answer. For her, inclusion is essentially about acknowledgement, the acknowledgement that her experience is different, and that this difference is valid.

She stresses that diversity and equity are about access, but inclusion is about psychological safety. It is about creating spaces where people feel able to share their experiences, ask questions, and learn together. Importantly, she says, inclusion is about “asking more questions than pretending you know the answers.”

This approach changes how decisions are made. When groups become more inclusive, thought processes shift and decision-making becomes richer. In the current environment, with difficult political headwinds and external challenges, Rebekah argues that inclusion also means courage and authenticity. It means standing by what you believe in, even when resources are limited, and committing to what is right rather than what looks good on paper.

Grassroots Inclusion: The Upvest DEI Task Force

Rebekah describes one of the most impactful strategies she has implemented at Upvest: a grassroots DEI task force. When she joined, she was the only female member of the management team. After conducting an assessment, she developed a strategy built on four pillars: attracting underrepresented talent, retaining them, ensuring policies and practices are inclusive, and embedding awareness and development.

With limited resources, the focus was on working with passionate people who wanted to make a difference. The DEI task force has delivered inclusion toolkits for every team, designed to embed inclusion into daily work rather than as a one-off training. Teams are challenged to create “inclusion nudges,” practical actions that encourage inclusive behaviours day to day.

The results have been significant. Upvest has doubled the number of women in leadership in the past year. Employee resource groups have formed authentically. Policies around parental leave, compassionate leave, vesting schedules, and the gender pay gap have been reviewed and strengthened. For Rebekah, the key is intersectionality and collaboration. By bringing together different perspectives, the strategy has become more emergent and more effective.

The Power of Representation in FinTech

Looking at the wider FinTech industry, Rebekah acknowledges its reputation for being male-dominated. The fast pace and decisiveness of the sector can be strengths, but she emphasises the need to value other styles and approaches as well.

Representation matters, and Upvest has taken deliberate steps to improve it. Alongside doubling women in leadership, the company runs quarterly financial literacy workshops for women. These sessions provide tools, knowledge, and safe spaces to learn, addressing the fact that women have historically been underserved in investing and wealth creation. By giving women a seat at the table, these initiatives aim to level the playing field and strengthen representation across the sector.

Walking the Talk on Inclusion

A recurring theme throughout the conversation is the importance of walking the talk. Too often, inclusion is treated as an HR issue or something to be deferred until leadership acts. Rebekah rejects this view. She insists that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, from founders to new joiners.

Her advice is simple: just talk about it. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, because it may never arrive. Start conversations, share your own experiences, and ask questions. People do not expect all the answers; they want to feel heard. By keeping conversations open, even small actions can create ripple effects that extend beyond companies into wider society.

She points out that there are 3.5 billion employees in the world, and inclusive practices at work influence how society functions. For example, changes in workplace policies around parental leave have already reshaped family roles for future generations. These are small changes that have profound, long-term effects.

The Ripple Effect of Everyday Inclusion

Rebekah reflects on how powerful the ripple effect of inclusion can be. Employees often feel uninspired or disenfranchised by politics or larger systems. But within organisations, there is an opportunity to make a difference. By starting conversations at work, creating inclusive practices, and empowering people to share their stories, companies can spark change that extends outward.

This ripple effect is what motivates her. She believes that inclusive practices at work can become best practices across industries, setting new standards for society. From the smallest teams to global corporations, inclusion starts with acknowledgement and grows through authenticity and courage.

Conclusion: Inclusion as Imperative in FinTech

The conversation between Nadia and Rebekah offers a clear message: inclusion is not optional, nor is it something to postpone. People need to thrive, for businesses to succeed, and for society to progress.

Rebekah’s journey from sales in Dublin to Chief People Officer in Berlin demonstrates the power of passion and persistence. Her work at Meta showed how inclusion becomes vital in global growth, while her work at Upvest illustrates how even startups with limited resources can make significant progress by empowering their people.

By creating a grassroots DEI task force, doubling women in leadership, and embedding inclusion into policies and practices, Rebekah and her colleagues are proving that meaningful change is possible. Their mission to democratise investing underscores the connection between financial technology and social progress.

As Nadia concludes, inclusion is about listening, learning, and walking the talk. With leaders like Rebekah setting the example, FinTech has the opportunity to not only innovate technologically but also to lead the way in building workplaces where everyone feels they belong.