Cara Hayward
About Cara Hayward
Cara Hayward serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for North America at Currencycloud, where she focuses on enhancing collaborations between financial technology firms and banks. With a background in sales and business development across various financial sectors, she has a strong commitment to supporting community banks and credit unions.
Work at Currencycloud
Cara Hayward currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for North America at Currencycloud, a role she has held since 2020 in the Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area. In this position, she focuses on building strategic alliances that enhance the company's offerings in the financial technology space. Prior to this role, she was the Director of Sales and Business Development for the US Banking Segment at Currencycloud from 2019 to 2020. Her work involves collaborating with financial institutions to provide integrated solutions for global money movement.
Experience at Barclays Capital
Cara Hayward worked at Barclays Capital as Vice President of Prime Services Origination Sales from 2008 to 2014. During her six years in this role, she operated in the Greater New York City Area, focusing on securing large hedge fund mandates. This experience provided her with a strong foundation in sales and client relationship management within the financial services sector.
Background in Financial Technology
Cara Hayward has a diverse background in financial technology, having served as a Board Member and Membership and Marketing Chair at the Association for Financial Technology (AFT) from 2017 to 2021. She also held the position of Director of Business Development at CBANC from 2015 to 2019 in Austin, Texas. Throughout her career, she has worked with various platforms in the financial services industry, advocating for partnerships that enhance the offerings of community banks and credit unions.
Education and Expertise
Cara Hayward earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship and English from the University of New Hampshire's Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, graduating in 2008. Her educational background supports her expertise in business development and strategic partnerships, particularly in the financial services industry.
Personal Interests and Advocacy
Outside of her professional endeavors, Cara Hayward enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband and dog. She has a personal connection to small business challenges, which influences her approach in the financial technology sector. Cara advocates for a diverse banking system in the U.S. and believes in the importance of partnerships between financial technology companies and banks or credit unions to deliver high-quality products and services.