Innovate Finance chair Louise Smith to lead Stripe’s UK board of directors

Louise Smith, the former chief digital officer at Lloyd's of London, has been appointed chair of Stripe’s UK board of directors.

Smith is a familiar fintech name as she was also appointed chair of the industry body Innovate Finance in May 2021.

She is also one of the UK Government’s appointed Fintech Envoys and previously spent 15 years at RBS (now NatWest) and Barclays.

“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 separate from Stripe’s US board, which counts former governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney among its directors.

Stripe said the appointment comes as the company nears its first decade in the UK, with a customer roster from Depop to Deliveroo, Hargreaves Lansdown to the Church of England.

Stripe’s UK country lead Max Roberts welcomed Smith’s arrival and said her ethos and experience is “very much aligned with Stripe’s”.