Cryptocurrency exchange and custodian Gemini, has announced the appointment of Julian Sawyer as the firms new managing director of its United Kingdom and European arm.
Having secured its first acquisition of Nifty Gateway in November, the company hope Sawyer’s appointment will help develop ‘market-leading products’.
He will also manage hiring, as his team builds out its physical presence in the United Kingdom and Europe, reporting directly to Gemini’s President, Cameron Winklevoss.
“Europe is the birthplace of modern financial markets and the United Kingdom (UK) has been a global financial capital of innovation for hundreds of years,” said Tyler Winklevoss, CEO of Gemini.
“Gemini needs to be here and Julian’s deep knowledge and fintech expertise in these regions make him well-suited to lead Gemini’s expansion into this pioneering area of the world.”
Sawyer was co-founder and chief operating officer at one of the UK’s leading challenger banks, Starling Bank, where he built out business operations, including payment systems, card operations and customer service.
He helped double the bank’s customer growth in eight months and enable services through the Post Office – becoming the first mobile only bank to do so.
Prior to Starling, Sawyer spent over 20 years in financial services organisations including establishing Bluerock Consulting, a financial management consultancy that he led as CEO from 1999-2011.
His previous success in leading companies through hypergrowth is expected to ‘translate seamlessly’ into his new role at Gemini.
