iBanFirst appoints former SocGen strategist Julien Molez as COO
iBanFirst, a specialist cross-border payments platform headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, has hired former Société Générale AI and data strategist Julien Molez as its new chief operations officer (COO).
Julien Molez, chief operations officer, iBanFirst
Molez is to leverage nearly two decades of experience in the realms of AI, consulting and technology to lead the entire scope of the platform’s operations. This includes its Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, transaction monitoring, payments and foreign exchange (FX) back-office, banking relationships and liquidity providers.
In this, he will be tasked with delivering “an even more efficient and automated operational model” and a simplified customer experience in tandem with supporting the company’s growth and its “operational excellence”, which iBanFirst describes as the “cornerstone” of its success.
He succeeds Diane Reille as COO, who was initially appointed to the position in September 2022 but departed the company in May 2023, according to LinkedIn.
Prior to his new appointment, Molez served as head of data and AI strategy for Société Générale between January 2019 and June 2023, having previously served as associate director and principal of the French banking group in a tenure beginning in January 2014.
His professional experience also extends to New York-based IBM Global Business Services, where he served as an engineer between September 2001 and April 2005.
Speaking on his appointment to COO, Molez expressed his enthusiasm in joining “an ambitious company that already boasts more than 350 talents and is revolutionising the international payment experience for businesses”.
“Leveraging my extensive banking and technological experience, especially in AI, I will work to solidify an extremely streamlined and highly automated operational model at iBanFirst for its clients.”
iBanFirst’s founder and CEO, Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier, says Molez’s appointment “represents a significant strategic milestone for our company”.
Founded in 2016 and with an active presence in 10 European countries, iBanFirst’s offering combines a cross-border payments platform with the insight of FX experts to enable executives and finance teams with access to currency markets and the ability to receive, send and track payments and develop hedging strategies. The company currently processes a transaction volume of over €1.4 billion each month.
