PractiFI expand into the US, with 27 year old Emily Wilcox named COO

While a career is never a straight line, where you belong is a powerful constant.

The rise of Emily Wilcox has been something to behold, something to notice, and something to follow; a true jewel of clutched opportunity. This week, Wilcox was made the COO of the game-changing PractiFI, an enterprise disrupting both the SaaS industry, and the conservative assumptions of the financial industry writ large.

Emily was in on the ground floor of PractiFI when it launched in 2013, building the foundation of her towering understanding of both the financial advisory industry, and technology. While she momentarily left to build her experience through consulting, she recently returned when she realised that the growth trajectory and opportunity that PractiFI offered was one she could not pass up. Equally, PractiFI were keen to ensure the law graduate could lead the company into its next growth phase, and with that an increase in responsibility as well as a change of view – Chicago.

Seeing a strong half of 2018 so far for the company, CEO Glenn Elliott and Chief Commercial Officer Adrian Johnstone, are set to roll out strategies as they continue to expand the companies’ operations within the AU and US markets.

With PractiFI’s rapid expansion into the US, the need for a member of the leadership team to be on the ground there became obvious. Deciding that Emily should be that person, is both a natural solution to their commercial needs and an equally disruptive move considering very few women at her age are in a leadership position within the FinTech space. At 27, Emily has already proven she is capable of leading product innovation and complex technology projects.

“Emily has fueled PractiFI’s growth since the beginning. Not only does she create a positive and happy work culture, but she also oversees the company’s financial health, the success of our HR policies and procedures, our facilities and logistics, our contracts and legal matters, as well as our investor relations. The COO role is hugely important and we know no one could do it better than Emily.” - Glenn Elliott

PractiFI recently closed $3million in capital, a joint injection made by Microequities Asset Management and Equity Venture partners via the Microequities venture Capital Fund. The investment secures the path forward for PractiFI to build out their business in both AU and US markets, with an emphasis on client acquisition and customer success strategies. The SaaS platform has already secured clients in the US, and with Emily’s stewardship, seeks to create a sustainable and growing footprint in the country.

Emily will be calling Chicago home as of September 2018, and will lead the company in the US with planned attendances at conferences such as InVest West and the BAM Alliance National Conference. Leading the platform’s foray into the states, Emily will be able to demonstrate the unique solution that PractiFI offers their wealth industry clients. The platform automates business administration, client data and compliance for the super, insurance and advice industries. Emily looks forward to advocating for the need to move towards more progressive and effective solutions than traditional CRM platforms.

Emily states: “I’m hugely excited for PractiFI’s potential within the US. We’ve already had a lot of early interest in our platform, but my main focus right now is to take the time needed to build the foundation for our operations here in Chicago. Client satisfaction comes from building out a great customer success team, and that’s my first priority.”

Emily Wilcox and PractiFI represent change. Watch the industry follow their moves as firms recognise the need to adopt effective data-driven technologies, mitigating manual labour, streamlining data and identifying opportunities moving forward.