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Flex and the City - Great leadership in financial services
Flex and the City puts the human back at the heart of financial services.
Rachel Treece, CEO of The Henka Institute, sits down with some of the industry's most remarkable leaders. Not to talk about markets or metrics, but about who they are, how they lead, and what they believe it will take to make financial services something worth being proud of again.
Because the people shaping this industry have fascinating stories. They've navigated crises, made hard calls, got things wrong, and kept going. They've built teams, changed their minds, and found a leadership style that's entirely their own. And most of the time, none of that makes it into a conference panel or a press release.
This is where those conversations finally happen.
Honest, human, and long overdue.
Flex and the City - Great leadership in financial services
Flex and The City with Olivier Portenseigne - Episode 81
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I really enjoyed my conversation with Olivier Portenseigne, CEO of FundsDLT and Head of Digital at Clearstream Fund Services, for the latest episode of Flex and the City.
He started his career as a temp, keying manual trades in Luxembourg. Nearly three decades later, he is leading a blockchain-based infrastructure platform.
But what stayed with me was not the career journey. It was how simply he described his purpose:
“We want to make funds accessible everywhere, anywhere, by anybody. Cheaper.”
That's not a fintech pitch. That's a belief system.
He also gave me the best leadership metaphor I've heard in a long time. The secret to success in finance? It's the same as the perfect boeuf bourguignon — harmony of ingredients. Different skill sets, different origins, different perspectives, all cooking together. Diversity isn't a nice-to-have. It's the recipe.
It is a simple idea, but it lands. Diversity is not something separate. It is part of how good work actually happens.
For those entering the industry, his advice was equally clear. Build your network early. Develop a strong understanding of technology, even if you are not technical. And learn to communicate a vision in a way that others can connect to and believe in.
A conversation that gives you something to think about. 🎙️
#FlexAndTheCity #Leadership #FinancialServices