AYU Member Spotlight: Adele Scott of Elwood Technologies.
Adele Scott, Global Relationship Manager of Elwood Technologies.
Hi Adele, what are you working on today?
I have recently expanded my role as Global Relationship Manager to include Business Development and Partnerships at Elwood. So I’m bringing myself up to speed with our partners while investigating how we can best maximise these opportunities for our clients.
How did you get to where you are now?
I was born in England but moved to France aged seven where I later completed my "baccalaureat scientifique", which covers more subjects than the typical 3 or 4 English A Levels do, showcasing my interest in travel, languages and tech from early on. Following university in London (and a fun year abroad in Berlin), I joined a young transformative data management company, where I gained exposure to how asset managers structure their front to back operations, cloud-based services, and how complex and important financial data management is. After seventeen years of progression, leading me to manage global clients across several countries (and some reflection during lockdown!), I was looking for a new challenge in a high-paced industry. Following some research, I was curious about the opportunities digital assets provided. Elwood was a natural fit for someone interested in transformative technology, a fast pace with global reach and it was an instinctive continuation of all the relationship management work I had been doing.
What attracted you to this business?
I didn't want to join a large organisation where it would be more challenging to have an impact, so I was drawn to the idea of a startup. However, Elwood was less startup and more scale-up! The team's growth has been phenomenal, and I am thrilled to have been able to drive the business growth with the team here.
What has been the most pivotal moment of your career so far?
While I enjoyed the many challenges and progression my previous company provided, joining Elwood, a company focusing on building infrastructure for an entirely new asset class, was pivotal in my career. It really took me out of my comfort zone! With this industry's pace, some days, I feel like a veteran with almost two years of experience in digital assets. Of course, some of the many highlights include moderating the AYU panel at last year's digital asset fund day, allowing me to facilitate and engage in conversation in this exciting ecosystem.
What aspect of our industry excites you the most?
The breakneck speed of development in blockchain and the financial infrastructure to support this new asset class is exhilarating. Today it's digital assets, but tomorrow it could be the tokenisation of traditional assets, or we could see the development of DeFi at scale. And, of course, all these opportunities need institutional infrastructure to support them. So it feels like Finance 3.0 is happening right now, and I get to see it built in real-time. I am also very proud that my daughter can recognise the Bitcoin sign!
What would you change?
Seeing how fast this industry moves and the technology involved, I wish I had jumped into digital assets earlier. Meeting people that have been in this space for even five years is quite rare, making experts all the more valuable. Oh, and I wish I had brought Bitcoin in 2013.
What do you invest in personally?
Property and select funds. I have also invested in a single parent app, which is a topic I am very passionate about.
What is at the top of your bucket list right now?
More holidays with my family, now my daughter is eight, it's so much easier and she will remember them. We are off to Dubai in two weeks and I can't wait to go to the desert and see her face (and post all over instagram of course!)
Where do you celebrate?
At my home bar! We built it during lockdown because I could not survive one more day of homeschooling without proper cocktails…
What does success mean to you?
Feeling like my work/life balance is under control and at the level I want it to be. Of course, having a happy crazy child is the ultimate success for me!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
My late mum told me: “Don’t worry about bad things that haven’t happened yet”