Revolut’s only female exec becomes latest to leave the company

Deirdre Halligan has left the fintech to be global chief operating officer for a company in her hometown of Ireland.

Image source: Deirdre Halligan/Revolut.

Senior Revolut executive Deirdre Halligan is set to leave the fintech after two years with the company.

The only woman on the executive leadership team at the global financial super app, Halligan was head of global affairs, wealth and trading, involved with authorisations and regulatory affairs, according to her LinkedIn.

The news of Halligan’s exit follows the departure of chief compliance officer Harry Gill a few months ago and comes ahead of chief revenue officer Alan Chang’s.

Chang announced his planned departure to work on his new climate change startup Tessaract in May but has not officially left yet.

Gill reportedly left following a restructuring of the digital lender’s risk division.

Halligan will now take on the role of global chief operating officer at a “global organisation” in Ireland, though which company is currently not known.

A Revolut spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Deirdre will leave Revolut to pursue opportunities outside the business.

“We thank her for her amazing contribution to the team and wish her all the best for the future.”

The news comes a few weeks after CEO Nik Storonsky criticised UK banking delays as the company awaits its banking licence.

Revolut’s CEO and co-founder Nik Storonsky criticised the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for its slow progress towards granting them a banking licence, telling City A.M that the FCA is “slower compared to other regulators”.

Halligan’s departure now leaves the company with an all-male leadership team.

A Revolut spokesperson said: “It’s critical that we continue to raise the bar when it comes to hiring and retaining the best talent. 

“As a growing business, we have a role to play in removing barriers that women face and we are targeting 30% senior leadership roles filled by women by 2025. 

“We’re the first to acknowledge that we must do more to ensure that women are provided with fair and equitable opportunities here at Revolut.”

They pointed to a number of initiatives and steps the company is taking to ensure this happens.