Meet the team

Neo was founded in 2016 by Laurent Descout, Emmanuel Anton and Ian Yates, and now comprises a diverse team of talented professionals.

Laurent Descout

CEO, Co-founder

Laurent is a serial fintech entrepreneur and investor. Previously he has been financial advisor in asset structured finance for more than 10 years. He holds a master’s degree in Banking, Finance and Insurance from Paris Dauphine and the Investment Advice Diploma in Derivatives from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, ESMA/MiFID II compliant.

Emmanuel Anton

COO, Co-founder

Emmanuel possesses extensive experience in different currency exchange platforms. Prior to Neo, he held positions such as Middle Office Manager, Senior Business Analyst and worked for several banks and brokers in London and Paris. Emmanuel holds a Master’s degree in Banking & Finance from Toulouse Business School. 

Ian Yates

CTO, Co-founder

Before founding Neo, Ian was Principal Consultant for Greyspark Partners Ltd. He was previously Managing Consultant at Net2s Ltd in London. Among his consulting missions he has been solution architect for Willis Towers Watson, Senior platform developer for RBS and various investment banks. Ian is an Engineer in Computer Science graduated from University of Hull. 

Matthew Harvey

CXO, joined Neo in 2017

Formerly employed as a web developer in the games industry, Matt has worked on a wide variety of projects across multiple sectors. Before joining Neo, he worked for a creative agency and developed websites and applications for clients including Crossrail, the House of Lords, and the University of Cambridge. Matt holds a Master’s degree in Japanese from the University of Edinburgh. He has been working in web development for over 14 years and now specialises in user experience and accessibility.

Caroline Albertini

Head Audit, joined Neo in 2017

Graduated from Paris Dauphine University with a degree in Finance and Economics. She then spent 8 years at Ernst & Young as a Senior Manager in audit and consulting for the Financial Services sector. Caroline then spent 4 years at the Haut Conseil du Commissariat aux Comptes as Senior Financial Inspector. She is now in her fourth year at Neo Capital Market as Head of Internal Audit where she also leads the financial department.

Alejandro Sanchez

Head of Security, joined Neo in 2020

Alejandro has been working in cybersecurity area for over to 10 years. His evolution within this area ranges from technical (ethical hacker and security specialist) until Head of Security. Before Neo, Alejandro worked as Head of Security for the first Spanish unicorn (letgo) protecting the data of more than 100 million clients. Alejandro holds several security and IT certifications. Alejandro lead the ISO27001 certification at Neo.

Reece Mathurin

Senior Developer, joined Neo in 2018

Reece has 10 years of commercial experience developing applications and solutions, including previous work at Dentsu International. He has played a key role in the construction of Neo’s current platforms.

Ana Charques

Head Compliance, joined Neo in 2019

Graduated in Law at University of Barcelona, a Master in Legal Practice and a postgrade in Compliance. She has obtained the Compliance CESCOM certification and IFCA. She holds experience in legal, for international law firms and compliance, for financial institutions. She joined Neo in 2019.

Álvaro Javier Sáez

Head Financial Crime & MLRO, joined Neo in 2023

Álvaro has nearly 12 years of professional experience in the field of FinCrime. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (University of Granada) and has completed an advanced university course in AML/CFT (Rey Juan Carlos University). Prior to joining Neo, he held senior management and coordination roles at renowned consulting firms such as KPMG and BDO, working with major financial institutions in Spain.

Anna Dvurechenskaya

Head Payments Operations, joined Neo in 2020

Anna has an extensive experience working in operations focusing on providing an excellent customer experience as well as managing payments related projects to support the business’ growth and ensure scalability. Anna holds a degree in Business Finance, Master’s in Business management and strategic planning, CISI International Certificate in Advanced Wealth Management (ICAWM), ESMA/MiFID II compliant.

Matija Novak

Head Trading, joined Neo in 2018

Matija has over 10 years experience working in Foreign Exchange, Payments and Operations. He started his career at Unicredit before focusing on Fintech sector. He held positions as Middle Office Manager, Back Office Manager and worked in various startups. He graduated from Faculty of Economics Ljubljana in Money and Finance and did an international exchange at Master level in Toulouse Business School.

Genoveva Navas

Head Treasury, joined Neo in 2021

Genoveva has an extensive experience working for different type of companies, from big multinational companies to technological start-ups, being responsible for Finance and Tax areas, cost control and reshaping Finance departments and processes. Genoveva graduated with a degree in Finance and Administration from UCLM University and holds a Master in Management from ESCP Business School.