Alastair Lukies CBE

FinTech Pioneer, Pollinate CEO, FinTech Alliance Chair & Former Prime Minister’s Business Ambassador for Financial Services

Alastair Lukies’s Biography:

Alastair Lukies CBE is a leading British FinTech pioneer and one of the most recognised figures in global financial innovation. As Founder and CEO of Pollinate International and Chair of FinTech Alliance, he has shaped the evolution of digital banking and driven collaboration across the financial ecosystem. His most notable achievement remains founding Monitise, the mobile banking technology company that reached a $2 billion market cap and established the UK as a serious force in FinTech. Today Alastair is a trusted advisor to government and industry and continues to influence the direction of financial services at the highest level.

Alastair’s early journey was far from typical for a future technology leader. After a period at sports hospitality company ICM, he took his first entrepreneurial step by co-founding Epolitix, one of Westminster’s earliest digital platforms. This experience ignited his interest in digital communication and the potential of emerging technology. In 2003 he founded Monitise, with the ambition to connect banks and mobile networks so people could manage their money directly from their phones. The business was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer and by 2007 Alastair had led its listing on AIM, marking a pivotal moment in the rise of UK FinTech.

The years that followed brought sustained achievement. Alastair won Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 Growing Business Awards and in 2014 was appointed Prime Minister’s Business Ambassador for FinTech, becoming the first and only person to hold this specific role. The same year he received a CBE for services to mobile banking and charity. He later became Non-Executive Chairman of Innovate Finance, helping unite the sector behind a shared agenda for growth. In 2015 he joined the founding team of Motive Partners and today serves as Vice Chairman of its Global Advisory Council. In 2017 he launched Pollinate to modernise legacy banking systems and in 2019 became the first Chair of FinTech Alliance. Recent work includes co-founding ChaChing in 2024 and contributing to major UK innovation initiatives in 2025.

Why Hire Alastair Lukies?

Event organisers choose Alastair for his clarity, warmth and ability to cut through complexity. He speaks on FinTech, digital ecosystems, disruption, financial services, entrepreneurship and scaling, offering grounded insight shaped by two decades of leadership. His experience building companies, supporting government strategy and advising global institutions gives audiences a rare perspective on the future of finance. Alastair leaves people informed, motivated and ready to act, making him an invaluable speaker for conferences, boardrooms and industry events.

Alastair Lukies’s Career Highlights:

Below showcases Alastair Lukies’s career in fintech and business:

• 2025 – Appointed Chair of the Prostate Cancer UK Development Board
• 2024 – Co-founded ChaChing
• 2019 – Became first Chair of the FinTech Alliance
• 2017 – Founded Pollinate International
• 2015 – Became founding partner of Motive Partners
• 2014 – Awarded CBE for services to mobile banking and charity
• 2014 – Appointed Business Ambassador for FinTech to the then UK Prime Minister
• 2011 – Named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Growing Business Awards
• 2007 – Led Monitise’s demerger and listing on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market
• 2006 – Recognised as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum
• 2003 – Founded Monitise