Jamaican-born entrepreneur Richard Powell will be among a line-up of official keynote speakers slated for the 2024 staging of the Fintech Islands Experience (FiX 2024) that will be held on January 24 – 26 at the newly opened Sam Lord’s Castle Barbados, a Wyndham Grand Resort.

According to the organisers of FiX 2024, Powell has over two decades of experience in corporate finance, governance, business development, and principal investing in private and public companies.

“Richard is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor who has co-founded and led multiple successful ventures. Two of these were scaled to billion-dollar enterprises, namely: Zerochaos, a global HR BPO which grew to 12,000 employees and [US]$1.2 billion in revenues at exit, and most recently Project Black at Ariel Alternatives, a [US]$1.4-billion private equity platform that aims to create the next generation of large, global, diverse suppliers to the Fortune 500,” a profile of Powell read.

“Perhaps most timely, he is currently putting together an innovative vehicle to raise over $2 billion of capital, with the flexibility to invest in the US and Caribbean region, to address the demand in private equity, private credit, real estate and infrastructure assets,” it continued.

At FiX 2024 Powell will address the topic ‘Growing Fintech Unicorns: An Ambitious Vision for Inclusive Prosperity’. His keynote will serve as a call to action, “that together we can build the Caribbean into a global hub for fintech unicorns, dynamic companies that don’t just build wealth for a few but also unlock economic opportunity for all”, the conference organisers shared.

He will join other keynote speakers at FiX 2024 such as deputy premier and minister of finance for Turks and Caicos Islands E Jay Saunders and Rohan Marley, founder of Marley Coffee and Lion Order. So far the organisers have confirmed that 700 people will attend the three-day conference which will be hosted by Dr Terri-Karelle Reid.

Among the attendees will be more than 125 founders, investors, executives, and policymakers who will serve as moderators and panelists on various discussion points including artificial intelligence, banking (r)evolution, climate fintech, future of commerce, modernizing central banking, wealth building, digital assets and web3, open finance, and payments innovation.

President of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon, chairman of Barbados’ Financial Services Commission Oliver Jordan, Bermuda’s Minister of Economy and Labour Jason Hayward, founder and CEO of WiPay and Colour Bank Aldwyn Wayne, DigiPreneur founder Keron Rose, Dequity CEO Kadeem Mairs, executive chairman of Delta Capital Group Zachary Harding, and CEO of First Atlantic Commerce Christopher Burns will be some of the featured panellists.

As with the first staging of the event, there will be a Startup Pitch competition to close the conference.