Peppermint Innovation Ltd (ASX: PIL) (“Peppermint” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce Mr Neal Cross will join the Company’s Board of Directors as a Non- Executive Director.
Mr Cross has a long-distinguished career in finance innovation across brands like Microsoft, Mastercard, DBS Bank and is currently the Chairman of PictureWealth, a role he will retain. His significant experience living and working throughout Southeast Asia make him an excellent addition to the Board.
As Peppermint continues to expand its finance offering across the bizmoto platform via bizmopay, Mr Cross will be critical in guiding the Company’s innovation strategy to become a super App that combines employment opportunities with finance products that betters the lives of the underserved population throughout the Philippines.
Since its launch, bizmoPay has already issued hundreds of micro-enterprise loans to help local Filipino entrepreneurs follow their ambition to build a better life for them and their families utilising the bizmoto platform and ecosystem of services.
In announcing Mr Cross’ appointment, the Company also advised that Mr Mathew Cahill has resigned as a Non-Executive Director due to significant personal work commitments.
Peppermint’s Managing Director and CEO Chris Kain said: “It’s very rare to find someone with the right mix of skills and experience across both the technology and finance sectors as well as someone who has such incredibly rich experience living across the Southeast Asian region.
“Neal will a great asset for the Company as we continue our stellar growth and service more of this huge population.
“I also want to thank Mathew for his commitment and loyalty as a founding Director of Peppermint and wish him every success in his own business pursuits as he continues to build his very accomplished and recognised digital media company.”
On being appointed a Non-Executive Director, Mr Cross said he was super pleased to be joining such a dynamic company as Peppermint Innovation.
“I’m looking forward to driving growth while also doing good, as well as having an impact on our customers and partners in the Philippines,” he said.
“Today, almost 70% of the Philippines population remain unbanked (only 30% of Filipinos have formal banking services) and this is driving them to higher cost providers for lending and payment services. Peppermint is making this more accessible and cost effective and it is improving people’s lives.”
About Neal Cross
Mr Neal Cross is a globally recognised corporate, social and start-up entrepreneur with a long track record across blue-chip technology, finance, and data companies. He is currently co-founder and chairman of PictureWealth, one of the world’s fastest growing wealth fintech companies, and serves on the advisory board of Razer Fintech.
Prior to this, Mr Cross was the Chief Innovation Officer at DBS Bank where he drove their transformation into a global innovation powerhouse culminating in achieving the world’s best Digital Bank 2016 and 2018 and world’s best bank three times across 2018 and 2019. He has advised hundreds of major brands in Asia and is a trusted adviser to several leading CEO’s, government agencies and start-ups.
Privately, he has been awarded the world’s most disruptive CIO/CTO globally from judges Sir Richard Branson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and is a regular winner of best innovation lab and innovation leader awards.
His early life as a game developer has left him with a passion for gaming and the realisation that software should be engaging and rewarding. To this end, Mr Cross is passionate about solving problems in an elegant manner and deploys world class programs to engage the entire work force in the business of innovation.
In his spare time, he has built social enterprises to help save the endangered orangutans and coral reefs in Sumatra and was recently listed in “The Meaningful Business 100” which focuses on the individual, cutting through the corporate messaging to uncover which leaders are driving truly impactful, purpose-led business to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
