Layial El-Hadi

Executive Director | Fintech Cadence

Layial is the Executive Director of Fintech Cadence (an organization that aims to create start-ups that will help solve the financial industry’s problems through the integration of technology) and a former professor at Concordia University. She was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Apisen, a specialized industrial equipment company. She sits on the Advisory Board of Queen’s University’s Master of Financial Innovation & Technology and the Stakeholder Advisory Council of Payments Canada. In 2022 and 2023, Layial was nominated for the DMZ’s Women of the Year award. In 2019, Layial was identified as one of Digital Finance Institute’s Top 50 Women in Fintech, and in 2018, Layial was awarded Mentor of the Year for being the individual who had the most significant impact guiding Montreal-based startups.