Alex Scandurra, Director and Founder

Alex has finely honed his unique insights in roles spanning CEO, mentor, board member and angel investor and in all growth models, from startups to scaleups, from corporate to government.

Alex is a responsive and engaging consultant, with strong core values and a natural style of authenticity which is driven by purpose, a commitment to excellence, transparency, equality, and a belief in the power of collaboration and the value of culture to drive change.

He has a wealth of experience running complex operations underpinned by solid strategy and P&L conversance. Alex has first-hand geopolitical and cross-cultural experience over many years, engaging seamlessly and remotely across different continents from locations in Australia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom

Founding CEO, Australia’s first fintech innovation hub

Alex launched Stone & Chalk, in Sydney in August 2015, seeded by the NSW Government with contributions from a select group of top-tier brands such as Westpac, Macquarie, IAG, HSBC, Woolworths, AMEX, Optus and KPMG. Under his leadership, over the subsequent six years, Stone & Chalk evolved to become the focal point for fintech innovation and thought leadership as well as a globally recognised brand.  

From 100 fintech residents at launch, Stone & Chalk has become the largest and most successful emerging technology incubator in Australia with over 1,030 residents from companies representing a range of emerging tech sectors. To date, Stone & Chalk residents and alumni nationally have secured over $820m in funding. Many have become key players in Australian and global enterprise markets, such as Brighte, Metamako, FlareHR, HyperAnna, Insight Data Solutions and Nano.

Respected Advisor

As a respected advisor, Alex has worked closely with all levels of Australian government to nurture awareness, education, introduce new policies and ultimately direct government engagement in growth opportunities for Australia. As Founding Director of Fintech Australia, the peak body for the fintech industry, Alex was successful in advocating for the recognition of emerging technology sector entrepreneurs, the positive impact of these new business models on our economy, the evolution of regulation, and the inevitable and timely provision of jobs for the future.

Global Experience

Prior to launching Stone & Chalk in 2015, Alex had a successful career with global brands including Lendlease, Nokia Networks and Barclays Group.

Within Lendlease’s construction division, Alex was accountable for a cumulative project value of $650m over five years. Later, as the Head of Partner Management in ANZ and subsequently the Middle East for Nokia Networks, he was accountable for a portfolio value of $200m annually.

After completing his Executive MBA with Distinction at London Business School, Alex was appointed in 2011 by Barclays in London as their first external hire to build a new group-wide innovation capability with the objective of transforming the bank post the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). During his time with Barclays in London, Alex created and launched the Group’s first-ever innovation hubs, Barclays RISE in London and Manchester in 2014; he subsequently established and launched the Barclays Accelerator powered by TechStars in London and New York. Due to its overwhelming success, Barclays RISE operates in three countries globally.

During this time, Alex benefited enormously from the experiences and insights of meeting with Prime Minister Cameron’s senior advisors on policies and initiatives relating to boosting innovation and entrepreneurship post-GFC.

Supporting Positive Change

As Co-founder and Co-Chair of Spark Festival, which has since become Australia’s largest innovation festival, Alex was able to drive positive change and to help many people face the future of home and work with agility, optimism and opportunity. In addition, Alex’s personal commitment to supporting a range of on-purpose ventures has seen him embrace the role of Director and Board member of children’s cancer charity Redkite.