Melanie Gabriel

CMO & Co-founder
Yokoy Group AG

Applied in the category: Fintech-Money

With which digital project do you want to apply in this category?

Yokoy, the Swiss Fintech I co-founded with four others it the all-in-one spend management solution that automates spend management for medium and large enterprises with artificial intelligence, combining expense management, supplier invoice management and smart corporate cards into one single intuitive platform. We started in 2019 and have grown massively ever since. Today we have already over 350 clients, grew to more than 35 people, have expanded to Austria and Germany and plan to accelerate our growth even further. Compared to other tools on the market, Yokoy not only digitalizes but really autoamtes the expense-invoice and credit card management end-to-end. Furthermore Yokoy puts a great focus on research: Thanks to our own inhouse AI research lab, our clients get a tool that learns on their information and gets better with each every day.

How does digitization shape your career?

The impact it has had, and continues to have, is massive. From the moment I first set eyes on a computer, to my first startup (an app that allowed 2,000 users to swap clothes), to the FinTech I co-founded in 2019, digitization has been the springboard for my career and has instilled a deep passion for it from my first point of contact with it.

What makes you a digital female leader?

On the one hand, the FinTech company I co-founded is based on an idea that is purely digital: digitalizing and automating the expense-, invoice- and credit card processes of midsize and large enterprises through Artificial Intelligence. Building up a company and leading an ever growing team is a huge privilege. On the other hand: with my engagement as a board member at WE SHAPE TECH I try to inspire other women and people with diverse backgrounds into this fascinating digital world and so that a more diverse group of people is shaping tomorrow's world.

What does leadership mean to you?

Leadership means caring personally, encouraging and challenging directly, and leading by example.