FinTech Currensea has appointed a former executive at Amex and Wise as COO.
Enrique Garland will join the London company, behind travel spending cards and co-branded debit cards, as it looks to expand the latter portfolio.
It follows Currensea’s recently-announced partnership with Marriott Bonvoy and Mastercard to offer two co-branded multi-bank debit cards to Marriott’s UK customers, allowing cardholders to earn loyalty points wherever and whenever they spend.
Garland brings a wealth of experience across both partnerships and operations within the financial services industry. He joins Currensea from Dealstack, a technology platform for private equity professionals, where he served as head of operations.
Before that, Garland spent almost a decade in the loyalty and partnerships space, culminating in over three years at American Express, where he managed product strategy and international loyalty partnerships.
He held a similar role at the global remittances technology company Wise and began his career at Affinion Group (then acquired by JPM Chase).
Currensea says his deep knowledge of the rewards space in the UK and Europe will support its mission to redefine everyday loyalty for the world’s biggest brands.
James Lynn, co-founder and CEO of Currensea, said: “We are tremendously excited to work with Enrique. His industry knowledge and relentless focus on creating value for customers and partners will be a real asset as we build out our market-leading offering to co-brand partners through our unique multi-bank debit card.
“For too long, consumers in the UK have not been able to earn genuinely impactful rewards from their everyday spending. Our debit card model has the potential to change that – but it requires us to keep bringing in the very best talent across the business to do so.
“Enrique is going to be a big part of our growth in the coming years as we expand our co-brand portfolio, and we are delighted to welcome him to Currensea.”
Garland added: “I’m excited to join Currensea at a time of significant expansion and contribute to its mission of redefining everyday loyalty in the European payments landscape.
“Currensea is charting an impressive growth trajectory, and I’m looking forward to working alongside James and his excellent team in supporting its next phase and building a debit-led rewards model that truly works.”