MPC Interviews Laura Gibson-Lamothe of Georgia Fintech Academy
Please state your name, title, company, and email address to provide to prospective partners and customers interested in receiving more information.
Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Executive Director, Georgia Fintech Academy
Laura.gibsonlamothe@usg.edu
How are you different than other brands in your space?
The Georgia Fintech Academy is a talent development initiative serving the University System of Georgia with a robust Fintech curriculum, speaker series, events, career fairs, podcast, and networking opportunities for students.
How would you describe your value proposition to prospective customers and channel partners?
Our value proposition lies in delivering cutting-edge, industry-aligned fintech education that equips students with the skills and experiences needed to thrive in the fintech sector. For our industry partners, we offer a pipeline of highly qualified talent, collaboration opportunities for innovation, and a commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in the fintech industry.
What recent challenges have your company’s leadership faced and how did you overcome them?
The Academy aims to provide students real-world and innovative experiential learning opportunities, leveraging strong industry partnerships and enhancing our curriculum. To keep up with the evolving fintech industry, we’ve implemented introduced new programs, curriculum enhancements, and have created access to industry events such as MPC. In response to the increased demand for fintech education, we have expanded our offerings and accessibility across various Georgia institutions to accommodate more students.
What recent milestone have you achieved and why is it significant?
Towards the end of 2024, we will celebrate five years of operations, marking a significant milestone for the Georgia Fintech Academy. This achievement underscores the strong foundations we’ve established and our proven ability to scale the program, as evidenced by our high student engagement and impressive placement numbers. This fall, we will have reached 8,000 students, with over 2,000 confirmed hires in Fintech/Payments, highlighting the impact and success of our initiatives.
What near-term opportunities will 2024 present to you and your team?
In 2024, we foresee several near-term opportunities for our team. We aim to further expand our program’s reach and accessibility across more institutions in Georgia, tapping into a broader student base. Additionally, we plan to enhance our curriculum with the latest fintech innovations and industry trends, ensuring our students are well-prepared for the evolving market. We also see opportunities to strengthen our partnerships with leading fintech companies, providing more hands-on learning experiences and job placement opportunities for our students.
What’s a key trend for your industry in 2024, and why do you think it’s important?
A key trend for the fintech industry in 2024 is the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in financial services. This trend is important because AI and ML technologies are driving significant advancements in personalized banking, fraud detection, risk management, and customer service. These innovations are enhancing efficiency and security while creating new opportunities for fintech companies to deliver more tailored and efficient services to their customers. While we currently offer a suite of related courses, we will need to stay attuned to the extended use cases for how this technology is being applied.
