Fintech
Nium appoints Spencer Hanlon as chief operating officer
Noa global leader in real-time cross-border payments, today announced the appointment of Spencer Hanlon to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Previously, Hanlon served as Global Head of Travel at Nium, leading one of the company’s fastest-growing business units. Hanlon joined Nium in 2021 through the acquisition of Ixaris Group Ltd., where he served as President.
In his new role as COO, Hanlon will lead and scale Nium’s daily operations in its next phase of growth, with particular emphasis on new customer onboarding, global technical services and long-term strategic initiatives. He will report to Nium founder and CEO Prajit Nanu.
“Spencer has been an integral part of Nium for the past three years, demonstrating exceptional cross-functional leadership and a deep understanding of what it takes to grow,” Nanu said. “Appointing Spencer as COO was a natural decision. His vision and dedication have been invaluable to our success, and I am confident that under his leadership we will continue to achieve outstanding results.”
Based in London, Hanlon built the travel business at Nium, transforming it from a regional player to a leading global virtual card issuer. Nium recently announced 100% year-over-year (2022 to 2023) revenue growth in virtual cards in Asia, a strategic priority market for the company.
Commenting on the appointment, Hanlon said, “During the three years I have been with Nium, I have witnessed firsthand the success of this forward-thinking acquisition, which has become a key part of this incredible rise in cross-border payments. Now having the opportunity to lead incredibly dedicated, smart and fun-loving teams across the globe, within one of the world’s most admired fintech companies, is both an incredible honor and a source of real excitement for me. To that end, I have a clear mandate to continue to ensure that everything we do here at Nium is customer-centric. I honestly can’t wait to get started.”
Before joining Nium, Hanlon held a variety of senior management roles at British Airways over a decade. He has worked and lived in a variety of markets, including the UK, Taiwan, Malaysia, Switzerland, Israel and Turkey. He furthered his career in travel payments with nearly two decades at Lufthansa’s AirPlus International, where he led sales, marketing, processing, operations and customer services teams, culminating in a stint as managing director and COO of AirPlus International GmbH, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.
Nium is confident that Hanlon’s appointment will further strengthen the company’s leadership team and enhance its ability to deliver exceptional value to its customers, partners and stakeholders.
Hanlon succeeds Pratik Gandhi, who joined the company in 2016 and took over as Nium’s COO in 2019. Gandhi will leave his operational role at the company later this year and will continue to be associated with Nium as co-founder emeritus and advisor to the CEO of Nium.
“I am proud of the growth and success we have achieved together and now we are at a critical inflection point,” said Gandhi. “It has been an exciting journey through the complexities of growth and scale, and I am confident the company will continue to thrive under Spencer’s leadership.”
“Pratik has been instrumental in the success of Nium. He has been my partner in building this company for the past eight years and it is difficult to describe his contribution in just words,” Nanu said. “During his time at Nium, Pratik has created a culture of excellence, building multiple functions from the ground up. I and the entire team here at Nium continue to be excited to see what he creates next.”