Helen Child is the Founder & CEO of Open Banking Excellence (OBE), the world’s leading community of Open Banking and Open Finance pioneers. Working with innovators, leaders and pioneers in the UK and across the world, Helen is committed to connecting changemakers to enable collaboration to maximise impact and growth. Throughout her career, Helen has always been committed to operating at the leading edge of innovation. After founding the first e-Money Licence Issuer in the UK to be awarded licenses by both Mastercard and Visa, Helen moved into Open Banking as the UK’s world-leading ecosystem was taking shape.
In 1664, Helen’s family established Child and Co, the third oldest bank in the world and the first to be led by a woman – Sarah Sophia Child-Villiers. Later, in the 20th century, Helen’s grandmother was a suffragette. Today, Helen keeps her family’s flame burning as a passionate champion of women and an advocate of financial inclusion. Innovation is quite literally in her DNA.
After playing a key role in the development of Open Banking in the UK, Helen became a global ambassador, collaborating with government and industry to fly the flag for Britain across the world and working as a consultant in major emerging ecosystems, including Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Helen sat on the Counsel of Lancaster University and is a founding member of the University’s InfoLab. During the rare quiet moments during a busy life, Helen enjoys cycling and running along Morecambe Bay.
