I remember as a young journalist back in the now seemingly harmonious era of the coalition government hearing the word “fintech” for the first time. I was on a tour of a construction site near the top of a Canary Wharf skyscraper that became Level39 and my guide kept using this strange-but-familiar term.
When I typed up my story, fintech repeatedly autocorrected, which was mildly frustrating. I was then told by my editor that it was not a word that would ever appear in print (“we don’t use made up words here”) and was forced to write out “financial technology” every time I used it.
These days, most people know what fintech is, to the extent that it regularly appears in mainstream publications without an explanation (see also: “the micro blogging website Twitter”). All of which is a long-winded way of saying that technology and the way it is spoken about – not just by journalists, but by everyone – has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. And so, as it happens, have I.
After more than a decade working for newspapers in London – first The Wall Street Journal and then The Sunday Times – I became a Covid cliche and left the city for a quieter life back home in the South West. I couldn’t stay away for that long, though, and joined FieldHouse in September 2022. So far, I’m loving it.
As a journalist, I’d always enjoyed the way FieldHousers went about their business – knowledgeable, engaging, persistent when necessary – and it had long been in my mind to talk to Cordelia about joining. I’m so glad I did: It’s a great, growing business made up of excellent people – all of whom know what fintech means.
