Stripe’s UK Board Will Be Led By Innovate Finance Chair Louise Smith

The former head of digital for Lloyd will now also be in charge of Stripe’s UK board. Louise Smith, who used to be the head of digital at Lloyd’s of London, is now the chair of Stripe’s UK board of directors.

Smith is a well-known name in the fintech world, and in May 2021, she was named chair of the industry group Innovate Finance.

She is also one of the Fintech Envoys for the UK government. She worked for RBS (now NatWest) and Barclays for 15 years.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the potential for tech infrastructure to help businesses adapt and grow,” said Smith on her appointment.

“We are only scratching the surface of what’s possible in the digital economy and I look forward to supporting Stripe as it builds the infrastructure to unlock these opportunities.”

The UK board is different from Stripe’s US board, which has directors like Mark Carney, who used to run the Bank of England.

Stripe said that the appointment comes as the company is getting close to its first decade in the UK, with customers like Depop, Deliveroo, Hargreaves Lansdown, and the Church of England.

Max Roberts, who is in charge of Stripe’s business in the UK, was glad to see Smith come on board and said that her values and experience are “very much in line with Stripe’s.”