Raidiam, creator of data-sharing ecosystems globally, has appointed Jim Wadsworth and Lauren Jones, both of whom most recently worked at Konsentus, to support its global growth.
Wadsworth has been hired as head of advisory, while Jones joins Raidiam as strategic advisory partner.
Wadsworth, who has more than 25 years of experience in banking and payments, was responsible for leading the development of Open Banking at Mastercard.
Jim Wadsworth
Prior to that, he headed up the Vocalink UK product team, which was responsible for critical national infrastructure services such as BACS and FPS, and has also worked at Vodafone, JP Morgan, and Barclaycard during his career.
In May 2023, he was appointed by Konsentus as executive vice president, strategic market development.
“The Open Finance phenomenon is expanding at a massive rate, creating new and exciting opportunities for countries, businesses, and citizens worldwide,” said Wadsworth.
“Raidiam has a unique and proven set of capabilities to enable these opportunities. It also boasts a team with unparalleled expertise and know-how.”
In his new role, Wadsworth will help the team further expand its offerings to central banks, regulators, market infrastructures, and financial institutions.
Lauren Jones
Jones, who has more than 15 years of experience in banking and payments, played a role in the early-stage development of Open Banking standards, such as ISO 20022, as well as standards endorsed by the G20.
She has also represented the UK market at ISO, the European Payments Council and a number of groups within the European Central Bank, Berlin Group, and Swift.
Most recently, she worked at Open Banking Exchange, a fully-owned subsidiary of Konsentus, as director, market development in its global team.
Jones said: “The data economy will be the future lifeblood of nations. Open Finance is an enabler and critical component to the development of innovations.
“Raidiam understands how to nurture and develop Open Finance in a way that can unlock the untapped potential and has years of hands-on experience in delivering ecosystems that support this vital growth.”
She called Raidiam an “expert team of pioneers who truly recognise the importance of Open Finance and support governments and regulators in unlocking their data potential”.
Barry O’Donohoe, Raidiam’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said: “We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Jim and Lauren to the team to solidify further the impressive growth trajectory that Raidiam is on.
“With our unique credentials and expertise in the market, the additions of Lauren and Jim to the team will support us in our continuing leadership of the global development of Smart Data ecosystems.
“They are both highly-respected individuals in their own regard, with Jim’s experience driving Open Banking expansion and Lauren’s reputation as a thought leader in the global movement.”
Raidiam has made a series of hires this year, including Lukasz Jaromin as head of standards and product strategy, and David Oppenheim as head of strategic business development, announced in June.
Barry O’Donohoe is speaking at Open Banking Expo UK & Europe on 15-16 October at the Business Design Centre in London. Click here to find out more about the speaker line-up, agenda and how to get your ticket.
Raidiam is the headline partner of the Open Banking Expo Awards 2024 – find out more about the awards scheme, and which companies and individuals are shortlisted, here.
