“The ability to juggle multiple projects and priorities is on a different level with working mothers,” observes Lena Hackelöer, CEO and founder of Brite Payments, during our illuminating Women Leaders in Payments episode. Five years after launching her company focused on account-to-account payments in Europe, Lena brings fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation, and diversity in the rapidly evolving FinTech landscape.
Having cut her teeth at Klarna during its early growth stages, Lena’s journey from marketing professional to FinTech founder offers a blueprint for aspiring women leaders. She challenges the notion that technical backgrounds are prerequisites for success in payments: “Don’t shy away from the challenge just because you don’t have a technical background. That’s a really common misconception.” Instead, she advocates gaining comprehensive understanding of business operations across departments, creating value through perspective rather than siloed expertise.
What truly sets European payments apart right now? Lena highlights the game-changing instant payment regulation enabling 10-second transfers across the entire Eurozone. This cross-border capability is transforming how merchants and consumers interact with money, positioning account-to-account transfers as a formidable alternative to traditional card processing. With Brite Payments now operating across 27 European markets, Lena’s insights into the region’s payment transformation arrive at a pivotal moment.
Her leadership philosophy balances high performance expectations with collaborative support – rejecting both the command-and-control approach and the ultra-consensus models that can slow innovation. This middle path creates space for diverse voices while maintaining the decisive momentum essential in FinTech. For women navigating this dynamic industry, Lena’s structured mentorship approach, including strategically pairing board members with executives for built-in guidance, offers a replicable model for nurturing talent.
Listen now for practical wisdom from a leader who’s building the future of payments from the ground up.
