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As CEO, and now Chairman, I have had the privilege of working with Claire Conby as Chief Risk Officer and Executive Director of our UK entity. Her expertise, dedication and proactive approach to risk management have been instrumental in guiding our company through numerous challenges and opportunities. Claire has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to identify and manage risks while fostering a culture of compliance and growth. I am incredibly grateful for Claire’s leadership and unwavering commitment to our success as an innovative fintech company.

Claire and her team have helped us to navigate the very complex field of compliance including in depth discussions direct with the FCA over a period of months. We would never have been accepted on to the FCA Regulatory Sandbox had it not been for Claire's attention to detail and determination to get the right result for us and our project.

During the six years I have worked with Claire at Billon, she has taken on a variety of roles and responsibilities, always with a highly professional, capable, and proactive attitude. Supporting our UK business in both start-up and BAU modes, Claire has consistently demonstrated her business acumen and reliability, proving herself to be a steadfast and invaluable asset.

As the Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering for the then Corporate Banking and Financial Markets (CBFM) division of RBS Group (now NatWest Markets), I was fortunate to work with Claire, between 2002 and 2007, who designed and supported the anti-money laundering risk management framework for CBFM businesses globally, particularly UK and Asia Pacific regions. Claire built strong relationships with the business area, enabling her to create a comprehensive and robust framework that not only met regulatory and legal advice requirements but was also well-understood and aligned with our business objectives.

Over the past five years, I have consistently found Claire to be a professional and pragmatic risk manager with strong commercial acumen. She excels at ensuring the risk framework supports business aspirations while maintaining a balanced risk profile. It has been wonderful to witness Claire expand her influence from her Board role at Billon’s UK e-money business to a leading position at the Digital Pound Foundation. Recently, we had a fascinating discussion about the rise of CBDCs and the potential opportunities for Billon’s regulatory-compliant blockchain.

Claire was a fantastic, commercial, pragmatic addition to our team. She led everything compliance, from strategy to hands on QA, in an area she had zero previous exposure to. She's a delight to work with, and I hope I get the chance to do so again in the future!