Ahead of the Pioneer Awards on Friday, 24 April, we spoke to Felipe Hillard, CCO of RTGS.global, the sponsor of the ‘Capital Pioneer of the year’ category.
The award celebrates the trailblazers advancing how capital is raised, deployed, or digitised, especially through tokenisation, blockchain or AI-driven platforms. On the shortlist are: Julian Sawyer, CEO of Zodia Custody, Nikhil Sharma, director of digital assets at BlackRock, Pavan Kaur, partner at RuleSpark, Dr. Stephan Leithner, CEO of Deutsche Börse AG and Tim Renew, CEO of BCB Group.
CP: Why did you want to get involved with the Pioneer Awards?
FH: The Pioneer Awards are going to highlight those players and those people who are at the precipice of the industry. The shortlists across all the categories focus on substance rather than style, so it’s bringing together the people that are actually doing the work, not just talking about it.
As a judge on the Capital Pioneer of the year category, I know all of the entries were fantastic, and it’s great to see all the early adopters in one place, the people with evidence of what they’re working on and achieving.
CP: Why did you choose to sponsor the Capital Pioneer of the year category?
FH: It’s the best of the best. The top of the mountain has the best view so we wanted to be involved in the category that was headlining the ceremony.
CP: Why do you think events like this are important for the industry?
FH: Events like these cut through the noise and allow everyone to take a moment and recognise really fantastic work. That’s what we need to focus on in the industry. It’s not just about your point of view, it’s about seeing the value delivered and taking the time to slow down and celebrate it to remind everyone what we’re working towards and what can be achieved.
CP: What are you looking forward to on the night?
FH: Unfortunately, I can’t attend in person but I know my colleagues who will be there are excited to meet the people in the room. Having so much experience in this still-new area of finance all in one place is so rare. The people who are really going to transform finance are going to be sat there so the ability to have a few minutes with them is very special.
This will be one of those change-the-world evenings.
CP: How do you celebrate success?
FH: The truth is probably an NC-17 answer that you won’t be able to publish… I’ll let people decide what I mean by that on their own.
