Flutterwave Hires World-Class Executives from Paypal, Stripe, and Western Union

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, has announced the appointment of several seasoned leaders from prominent financial services companies, including PayPal, Stripe, American Express, First Data, Western Union, and Square.

These appointments, which come a month after the Chief Finance Officer and two others resigned, reinforce Flutterwave’s dedication to risk and compliance to continue growing sustainably and successfully expanding globally.

The key appointments include Amaresh Mohan from GoTo Group in Indonesia as the maiden Chief Risk Officer, Stephen Cheng, EVP Global Expansion and Payment Partnerships, and  Amanda Ortega, Head of Compliance, US among others.

Amaresh Mohan, Chief Risk Officer, joins Flutterwave as the company’s first Chief Risk Officer, a role he previously held at GoTo Group, Indonesia’s largest digital ecosystem that publicly listed at IDX last year.

Amaresh’s 25-year career includes leadership positions at Stripe and PayPal where he was responsible for building risk management capabilities to enable market entries and scaling up in a number of emerging markets globally.

Previously, Amaresh has held key roles in leading global banks, including Citibank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bank of America. At Flutterwave, Amaresh will oversee all aspects of Risk Management, including  Compliance, Trust and Safety. He will work closely with the board and Flutterwave leadership  to build a risk-aware culture and strong governance across the company.

Stephen Cheng, EVP Global Expansion and Payment Partnerships, brings over two decades of global experience at Fortune 100 and high-growth regulated financial institutions, building and leading world-class risk and compliance organizations. He has held multiple C-level positions at public and private companies such as American Express, First Data, Green Dot, and Prime Trust.

Most recently, Stephen was Chief Risk and Compliance Officer and Chief Executive Officer at Wyre. Stephen will spearhead Flutterwave’s navigation of the ever-evolving global payment systems and facilitate the company’s expansion into new markets globally through acquiring licences and strategic payment partnership initiatives.

Amanda Ortega, Head of Compliance, US, brings more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, including 12 years as a regulator with the State of Wyoming’s Division of Banking, where she served in various roles, including Chief Bank Examiner and Deputy Banking Commissioner.

Prior to Flutterwave, Amanda was a regulatory, audit, and compliance executive for multiple licensed trust companies and money transmitters.  She will be responsible for overseeing Flutterwave’s regulatory standards and compliance in North America.

To further strengthen its risk, compliance, and partnerships teams, the company announced the appointments of several senior-level hires, including Steven Huynh, who has joined as VP, Global Expansion and Payment Partnerships, and is an industry veteran holding compliance, risk, and operational leadership roles at Western Union, Sigue, and Wyre.

Chris Davis, who joined as VP, Risk and Compliance Operations, held leadership roles in compliance, risk, and operations at Scottrade and Square/Cash App.

Adewale Ayantoye, who joined as VP, Risk Management, previously held a Director-level Financial Crimes Operations role at Etsy and a leadership role in compliance at Square/Cash App. Among them, they have a combined experience spanning over 30 years with expertise across compliance, risk, and partnerships.

These appointments come in a year when Flutterwave doubled down on its expansions into international markets with new licenses in Rwanda, Egypt, Malawi, and, most recently, money transmitter licenses (MTLs) in 13 states in the United States. It will be pivotal for the company’s continued focus on operational excellence by investing in risk and compliance, and adhering to the highest regulatory and compliance standards with world-class talent. This focus will fuel sustained growth, payment innovation, and expansion across the globe.

Speaking on the new appointments, Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, said:  “We are excited to welcome Amaresh, Stephen, Amanda, Steven, Chris and Wale to Flutterwave. This is a big step forward on our journey to build sustainable, safe, and secure payment solutions that connect Africa to the world and vice versa. Their wealth of experience will help us maintain an atmosphere of sustainable growth and a constructive environment for our people. They will help us solidify our commitment to providing excellent payment services to existing and potential enterprises and individuals from across the world.”