Veteran financial services innovation executive takes helm of London-based client solutions incubator

BNY Mellon has named Niamh De Niese Director and Head of its EMEA Innovation Centre, based in London. As head of the centre, De Niese will expand the innovative solutions delivered via BNY Mellon’s NEXEN digital platform, driving client engagement and building relationships with the region’s burgeoning fintech community.

BNY Mellon’s EMEA Innovation Centre provides a collaborative environment for cross-business client experience delivery and technology teams to partner with client companies and fintechs to explore and rapidly prototype new solutions to help clients solve their most complex problems and create value.

“Our network of global innovation centres is a core part of BNY Mellon’s NEXEN digital transformation strategy,” said Lucille Mayer, Global Head of Innovation and Client Experience Delivery at BNY Mellon. “Our EMEA Innovation Centre is ideally located to be a catalyst centre for new solutions that we can envision and develop alongside our clients and fintechs. Under Niamh’s leadership, we anticipate a step-wise increase in collaborative innovation in financial services.”

De Niese has held a number of senior technology and innovation leadership positions in the financial services and consulting industries. Most recently, she was Head of Visa’s European innovation labs in London, Berlin and Tel Aviv where she set the innovation strategy and delivery methodology for all digital innovation client co-creation and thought leadership projects across the company. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science and Business from University College Cork.

One of BNY Mellon’s six innovation centres based around the world, the EMEA Innovation Centre opened in October 2015. In addition to the EMEA centre, BNY Mellon operates innovation centres in Pune and Chennai in India, and in Jersey City, N.J., Silicon Valley (Palo Alto), Calif. and Pittsburgh, Pa. in the United States. Additional centres will soon open in Oriskany, N.Y. and Singapore.