The fintech startup has made a pair of executive hires to support its global growth strategy. Thunes has appointed Irina Chuchkina as chief marketing officer and Babul Balakrishnan as head of customer care, who will both be based in Singapore, the global cross-border payments firm said on Tuesday.
Fintech marketing leader Chuchkina, who is also an Executive Committee Member in the Singapore Fintech Association, brings over 15 years of experience in the payments and technology space in Europe and Asia, including at Rapyd, Grab and Visa. She will lead Thunes’ global marketing strategy.
Balakrishnan has over two decades of experience across various industries with a focus on customer service and customer experience. He joins from telco StarHub, where he was AVP of customer experience operations. He will work with the various business units to elevate customer care into customer experience across Thunes’ partner network.
The appointments follow the announcement of Thunes’ acquisition of Europe payments platform Limonetik, to complement its cross-border payments solutions. The company has also made several other strategic hires the last 12 months to support its expansion plans.
Launched in 2016, Thunes is headquartered in Singapore and operates regional offices in London, Shanghai, New York, Dubai, and Nairobi. In September 2020, it raised $60 million in a Series B funding round led by Africa-focused Helios Investment Partners.