Fintech issuer processing company Enfuce has appointed Birgit Skarstein, the para rowing gold medalist, as its first ever Chief Inspiration Officer.
The aim behind Skarstein’s appointment is to integrate her “proven championship DNA” into Enfuce to motivate, inspire and challenge its teams through her personal stories of becoming a Paralympic athlete and overcoming adversity through her disability.
Both a para rower and para cross-country skier, Skarstein won Paralympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the PR1 single sculls. She followed this with a silver medal last summer at the 2024 Paris Games and has won six gold medals at the World Championships.
During her time as a para athlete, Skarstein has also taken part as a public speaker at TED Talks and the World Economic Forum, leveraging her business and academic experience.
The Norwegian has a degree in political sciences from the University of Oslo and has been involved in Norwegian politics for several years, having served on the City Council of Oslo.
Commenting on her new role at Enfuce, Skarstein stated: “It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Enfuce. There’s something special about the people, the culture, the energy – it’s this amazing combination of staying humble while dreaming big.
“When I met Enfuce’s Co-Founders, Denise and Monika, I just knew this was meant to be. I can’t wait to work with all their incredible teams to share what I’ve learned about owning your success and what it takes to win big, while working to inspire broader change across the fintech industry.”
The newly-created Chief Inspiration Officer role is the first of its kind in the fintech sector, which Enfuce views as a compliment to its belief to go ‘beyond expectation’ and take a different approach to B2B fintech.
The role will also see Skarstein speak at Enfuce-created webinars and speaker series to speak on fintech topics derived from her athletic background, looking to inspire Enfuce employees and the wider fintech sector.
Denise Johansson, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at Enfuce, added: “Birgit perfectly embodies ‘sisu’ – the distinctly Finnish concept of extraordinary determination and resilience, even though she hails from our neighbouring Norway.
“Her ability to transform challenges into opportunities mirrors our own uncompromising spirit and drive to exceed the ordinary. We can’t think of anyone better to cultivate a winning mindset among our team and across the payments industry.”
