Call it the changing of the guard. In January, Simon Paris stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of London-based Finastra after nearly 10 years of leadership, during which time the company solidified itself as the largest pure-play software vendor in financial services.
In his place strode Chris Walters, previously the CEO of Pluralsight and Avantix before the latter was purchased by Cetera Solutions in 2023. A graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he has two decades of experience in fintech – and has hit the ground running.
In his first three months alone, the company has:
- Secured superbrand status
- Announced the launch of Assist.AI in partnership with Microsoft
- Partnered with Vision Bank to launch the pilot phase of its banking operations
- Announced enhanced Lending Cloud Service supported by IBM
For some companies, and some executives, that could represent a year’s worth of work. Not so for Finastra and Walters, who, prior to leading Avantix, was a Partner at McKinsey & Company and a Senior Partner at Activate Consulting, advising technology, data, information services, and investment companies on maximizing growth organically and via M&A. He also sits on the board of PrizePicks, a fast-growing digital sports business.
Walters and Paris pledged to work together during the CEO transition, illustrating the company’s alignment with the past and future. Ten years down the line, Walters might just return the favor – and who knows the heights to which Finastra will have reached then?
