Meet the VeryPay Team
Oluwaseun (Seun) Solanke is a business and technology executive who specializes in harmonizing processes, people, and technology to take organizations to the next level in growth and profitability. He is an AI, fintech and payments enthusiast with vast experience delivering results across United States, Middle East and Africa. His 20+ years career extends across business strategies, organizational development, operations, mobile financial services, and information technology.
Mr. Solanke was previously the Vice-President and Chief Information Officer for Airtel Nigeria where he oversaw the IT & Engineering functions with key focus on service delivery, project delivery, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. During his tenure at Airtel, he helped to spearhead the launch of a digital lab focused on machine learning for identity management and other internal digital platforms. He also drove the startup of a payments service bank, SmartCash PSB, leveraging digital technologies to support the financial inclusion agenda for the organization and country.
Prior to Airtel, he was the Senior Director for Business Support Systems and Mobile Financial Services at Ericsson Middle East and Africa with oversight and responsibility for all major MNOs and their mobile money subsidiaries. Before that, he held various senior leadership roles in other global multinational OEMs including Hewlett Packard and Oracle.
Mr. Solanke has degrees and professional certificates in Pure & Applied Chemistry, Information Sciences & Systems, Fintech, and Management and has attended universities including Morgan State University USA, London School of Economics, Oxford University, MIT and Yale. This has helped him garner skills in digital transformation, data analytics, fintech and payments, cloud, big data, and management. He is currently pursuing a Masters in AI from Hull University, UK.
He has a passion for mentorship and coaching and is a thought leadership within the continent. He is an active member of several technology forums in senior advisory capacities including Fintech Association of Nigeria, IDC West Africa Advisory Council, and CIO Club Africa. Some of his past awards include CIO of Year Telecommunications and Technology 2020 and 2022 respectively.
He is married with two boys and enjoys reading, running, and photography in his spare time.
Andrey has over 20 years of progressive technology development and executive management experience within the card payments industry. Andrey has held VP and CTO positions with leading point-of-sale terminal manufacturers and VARs, including Lipman, VeriFone, ExaDigm, PAX, Dejavoo Systems and Castles Technology. He provides vision, strategy and direction through the full product life cycle - from inception to implementation, market introduction and maintenance. Andrey holds both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science degrees in Information Technology and Computer Science from Novosibirsk Technical University in Novosibirsk, Russia.
David is responsible for leveraging the roles that sales and marketing play in driving growth for the business, as well as aligning all revenue-generating departments and building strategic partnerships. David has 20 years’ experience in the online payments industry and has spent most of his career developing sales and strategic partnerships channels.
Prior to joining VeryPay, he was Business Development Director for two start-ups, FXCPay - a disruptive multi-currency payments solution and Hokan - a private key management technology provider for crypto custodians. Prior to this he was VP of Global Partnerships for WorldPay’s e-commerce division. His team developed profitable commercial channels with leading technology platforms and systems integrators across multiple vertical markets.
David has a deep passion for business psychology. He is a qualified NLP Master Practitioner, Cognitive Hypnotherapist, Trainer and Coach. He has led several international leadership programmes and has spent the last 20 years building expert teams.
Joseph is a seasoned Mobile Financial Services and digital payments leader with over 13 years experience in operations, strategy, channel development, sales and general management. Joseph has developed a reputation for exceptional leadership and an ability to guide MNOs and FinTechs to develop effective channels for their Mobile Money services. He has led M&As, regulator engagement and management for licensing across a number of African markets. He has built and managed large teams and has helped develop leaders in multiple spheres in the African FinTech space. Prior to joining VeryPay as Director of Sales for West Africa, Joseph was the Director of International Business Development and Africa Expansion at OPay, where he was an integral part of the leadership team.
Joseph is a keen sports person and loves football.
Chuong Chuong serves as the Head of Product for VeryPay, a pioneering wallet companion platform designed to empower Telco companies to optimize their mobile wallet functionalities. With more than 14 years of experience in the IT sector, Chuong is a seasoned professional who specializes in system design. He leads a highly skilled development team committed to building state-of-the-art products. Under his expert guidance, VeryPay has successfully integrated a myriad of payment solutions, including NFC-enabled transactions for both merchants and customers.
In his capacity as Head of Product, Chuong collaborates closely with wallet providers and NFC card services to ensure seamless and secure payment experiences. Based in Vietnam, he combines his extensive technical background with a broad, analytical perspective, driving innovation and strategic problem-solving in product development.
Charlie leads the charge with our most important clients, prospects and partners across target markets. He has over fifteen years’ experience in SaaS, data and online products, having worked at blue chip companies and start-ups, including a fast-growing Telco.
Charlie has experience in banking, fintech, PR and media, commercial property and payments, and has built and managed large teams. In his spare time, he delivers pro-bono consultancy to European start-ups, delivering 300+ hours since 2020. Outside of work, Charlie is a keen cook and sportsman, although these days he does more watching than he does playing!
James is a seasoned Product Leader with 13 years of experience in Fintech, software product management, and software engineering. As Head of Product Implementation, he spearheads the rollout of the VeryPay products. He has a passion for creating user experiences and leverages his expertise to forge solutions in fintech that resolve real-world challenges and deliver substantial value to users.
He has held technical and product lead roles at Jambopay and DPO Pay, successfully launching, and integrating robust payment solutions across Africa.
Prior to joining VeryPay, James served as a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, where he led projects to build high-quality API-based products that empower developers to build exceptional experiences on Microsoft platforms, impacting millions of customers worldwide.
James is an avid sports fan. If he’s not playing indoor games, you’ll find him outdoors hiking or running.
Judith is a sales and marketing professional with a track record of success in creating and executing marketing strategies and driving growth. She is skilled in identifying market trends, customer needs, and creating campaigns. Prior to VeryPay, Judith worked as a distribution supervisor for Wave Mobile Money in Uganda. She is known for her ability to motivate and inspire and for creating positive, collaborative team cultures. She is a devout Christian, who loves singing, travelling and is passionate about fashion.
Christian A. Ongecu looks after our business development agenda across Africa based in Uganda, East Africa. He leverages his knowledge of the telecommunications business in the region, his business development and leadership experience to engage with telecommunications and banking industry to present and nurture the VeryPay unique value proposition to operational revenue generating business.
Christian prior to working with VeryPay was Sales Director for the Growth markets at Airtel Uganda and a business development consultant with Project Last Mile in Africa. This experience making up his 2 decades in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry with the Coca-Cola Company in Uganda with stints in Kenya, Tanzania, Diageo Uganda - Uganda Breweries Limited and Kimberly Clark Uganda and Rwanda.
He is a devout Christian and Rotarian drawn to getting work done excellently, making things simpler, better, more efficient, relies on fact-driven decision-making, and uses strategic stakeholder engagement to solve business and community challenges.
Oluwaseun (Seun) Solanke is a business and technology executive who specializes in harmonizing processes, people, and technology to take organizations to the next level in growth and profitability. He is an AI, fintech and payments enthusiast with vast experience delivering results across United States, Middle East and Africa. His 20+ years career extends across business strategies, organizational development, operations, mobile financial services, and information technology.
Mr. Solanke was previously the Vice-President and Chief Information Officer for Airtel Nigeria where he oversaw the IT & Engineering functions with key focus on service delivery, project delivery, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. During his tenure at Airtel, he helped to spearhead the launch of a digital lab focused on machine learning for identity management and other internal digital platforms. He also drove the startup of a payments service bank, SmartCash PSB, leveraging digital technologies to support the financial inclusion agenda for the organization and country.
Prior to Airtel, he was the Senior Director for Business Support Systems and Mobile Financial Services at Ericsson Middle East and Africa with oversight and responsibility for all major MNOs and their mobile money subsidiaries. Before that, he held various senior leadership roles in other global multinational OEMs including Hewlett Packard and Oracle.
Mr. Solanke has degrees and professional certificates in Pure & Applied Chemistry, Information Sciences & Systems, Fintech, and Management and has attended universities including Morgan State University USA, London School of Economics, Oxford University, MIT and Yale. This has helped him garner skills in digital transformation, data analytics, fintech and payments, cloud, big data, and management. He is currently pursuing a Masters in AI from Hull University, UK.
He has a passion for mentorship and coaching and is a thought leadership within the continent. He is an active member of several technology forums in senior advisory capacities including Fintech Association of Nigeria, IDC West Africa Advisory Council, and CIO Club Africa. Some of his past awards include CIO of Year Telecommunications and Technology 2020 and 2022 respectively.
He is married with two boys and enjoys reading, running, and photography in his spare time.
Andrey has over 20 years of progressive technology development and executive management experience within the card payments industry. Andrey has held VP and CTO positions with leading point-of-sale terminal manufacturers and VARs, including Lipman, VeriFone, ExaDigm, PAX, Dejavoo Systems and Castles Technology. He provides vision, strategy and direction through the full product life cycle - from inception to implementation, market introduction and maintenance. Andrey holds both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science degrees in Information Technology and Computer Science from Novosibirsk Technical University in Novosibirsk, Russia.
David is responsible for leveraging the roles that sales and marketing play in driving growth for the business, as well as aligning all revenue-generating departments and building strategic partnerships. David has 20 years’ experience in the online payments industry and has spent most of his career developing sales and strategic partnerships channels.
Prior to joining VeryPay, he was Business Development Director for two start-ups, FXCPay - a disruptive multi-currency payments solution and Hokan - a private key management technology provider for crypto custodians. Prior to this he was VP of Global Partnerships for WorldPay’s e-commerce division. His team developed profitable commercial channels with leading technology platforms and systems integrators across multiple vertical markets.
David has a deep passion for business psychology. He is a qualified NLP Master Practitioner, Cognitive Hypnotherapist, Trainer and Coach. He has led several international leadership programmes and has spent the last 20 years building expert teams.
Joseph is a seasoned Mobile Financial Services and digital payments leader with over 13 years experience in operations, strategy, channel development, sales and general management. Joseph has developed a reputation for exceptional leadership and an ability to guide MNOs and FinTechs to develop effective channels for their Mobile Money services. He has led M&As, regulator engagement and management for licensing across a number of African markets. He has built and managed large teams and has helped develop leaders in multiple spheres in the African FinTech space. Prior to joining VeryPay as Director of Sales for West Africa, Joseph was the Director of International Business Development and Africa Expansion at OPay, where he was an integral part of the leadership team.
Joseph is a keen sports person and loves football.
Chuong Chuong serves as the Head of Product for VeryPay, a pioneering wallet companion platform designed to empower Telco companies to optimize their mobile wallet functionalities. With more than 14 years of experience in the IT sector, Chuong is a seasoned professional who specializes in system design. He leads a highly skilled development team committed to building state-of-the-art products. Under his expert guidance, VeryPay has successfully integrated a myriad of payment solutions, including NFC-enabled transactions for both merchants and customers.
In his capacity as Head of Product, Chuong collaborates closely with wallet providers and NFC card services to ensure seamless and secure payment experiences. Based in Vietnam, he combines his extensive technical background with a broad, analytical perspective, driving innovation and strategic problem-solving in product development.
Charlie leads the charge with our most important clients, prospects and partners across target markets. He has over fifteen years’ experience in SaaS, data and online products, having worked at blue chip companies and start-ups, including a fast-growing Telco.
Charlie has experience in banking, fintech, PR and media, commercial property and payments, and has built and managed large teams. In his spare time, he delivers pro-bono consultancy to European start-ups, delivering 300+ hours since 2020. Outside of work, Charlie is a keen cook and sportsman, although these days he does more watching than he does playing!
James is a seasoned Product Leader with 13 years of experience in Fintech, software product management, and software engineering. As Head of Product Implementation, he spearheads the rollout of the VeryPay products. He has a passion for creating user experiences and leverages his expertise to forge solutions in fintech that resolve real-world challenges and deliver substantial value to users.
He has held technical and product lead roles at Jambopay and DPO Pay, successfully launching, and integrating robust payment solutions across Africa.
Prior to joining VeryPay, James served as a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, where he led projects to build high-quality API-based products that empower developers to build exceptional experiences on Microsoft platforms, impacting millions of customers worldwide.
James is an avid sports fan. If he’s not playing indoor games, you’ll find him outdoors hiking or running.
Judith is a sales and marketing professional with a track record of success in creating and executing marketing strategies and driving growth. She is skilled in identifying market trends, customer needs, and creating campaigns. Prior to VeryPay, Judith worked as a distribution supervisor for Wave Mobile Money in Uganda. She is known for her ability to motivate and inspire and for creating positive, collaborative team cultures. She is a devout Christian, who loves singing, travelling and is passionate about fashion.
Christian A. Ongecu looks after our business development agenda across Africa based in Uganda, East Africa. He leverages his knowledge of the telecommunications business in the region, his business development and leadership experience to engage with telecommunications and banking industry to present and nurture the VeryPay unique value proposition to operational revenue generating business.
Christian prior to working with VeryPay was Sales Director for the Growth markets at Airtel Uganda and a business development consultant with Project Last Mile in Africa. This experience making up his 2 decades in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry with the Coca-Cola Company in Uganda with stints in Kenya, Tanzania, Diageo Uganda - Uganda Breweries Limited and Kimberly Clark Uganda and Rwanda.
He is a devout Christian and Rotarian drawn to getting work done excellently, making things simpler, better, more efficient, relies on fact-driven decision-making, and uses strategic stakeholder engagement to solve business and community challenges.
