Cindy Nicholson: A Confident Innovator Entwining Business and Technology to Unravel Disruptive Solutions

serendipID is an Australian company specializing in Digital Identity, Data Privacy & Protection, and Cyber Security. The company aims to support its clients and communities in protecting Personal Identifiable Information. This includes helping organizations ensure they are following best practices when onboarding customers and employees, through automated secure applications, and educating their employees and contractors about potential threats, how to protect the organization, and furthermore, themselves. serendipID’s consulting services draw on over 30 years of business experience, across the globe, specializing in Business Transformation, Cybersecurity, and Digital Identity. The company drives strategies to deliver results. serendipID has three key modules as follows, • Digital Identity – serendipID’s solution automates the connection of identities safely and securely to people, organizations, services, and things (IoT) – across customer ecosystems. Our platform is designed to assist in validating that the real-world identity exists, that the digital identity matches, and that the person making the identity claim also matches. From the simplest of onboarding requirements to a fully automated integration of verified digital assets across multiple complex ecosystems, geographies, and identities. The company’s platform is compatible with the TrustID Framework in Australia. • E-Learning platform – The company’s E-Learning platform is packaged to cover the basic needs of its customers and provide interactive online training courses for educating employees, contractors, and individuals. • Risk Assessment – The company’s self-assessment tools align with its training and professional services, enabling organizations of any size to benefit from leading-edge tools relative to customer’s business size and needs.  

A Trailblazing Leader

Cindy Nicholson believes that Digital Transformation encompasses Technology, Operational and Human transformations and as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of serendipID and CEO of Braintree, Cindy brings together the key elements of success for organizations including Emerging Technology and Human Transformation. Moving to Australia from London where she worked for ten years in investment banking, Cindy has been instrumental in transforming businesses through technology. Her career spans investment banking, telecommunications, management consulting, and software solutions across the UK, USA, Japan, and Asia. Passionate about transformation, Cindy is an acknowledged thought leader with a track record of success in delivering sustainable transformation in large corporations. Cindy turns ideas and concepts into reality. With a thirst for innovation, Cindy remains abreast of emerging technology, aligning technology with relevant business concepts, enabling organizations to remain competitive and relevant. Seizing the opportunity for a regional Telco to be first to market, she pioneered a Digital Identity Verification platform, driving the program from concept to productization, and delivered a first to market solution for strategic partners. She has worked with organizations, from start-ups to large enterprises, including leading a A$70 million transformation program with a tier-one Australian bank, to building international software companies from Silicon Valley and Ireland, and was instrumental in taking these companies to acquisition and IPO. Bringing over 30 years of expertise into the business sphere, she knows that it is the journey of trust within ecosystems of partners where transformation truly shines. As a board member with the Australian Digital Currency Association (ADCA) during the merger to form the new Blockchain Australia, Cindy helped shape the future of Australia with this emerging technology and remains a Fellow member of Blockchain Australia, actively working within their committees. As CEO and Founder of serendipID, she helps shape the technology of the future, and as CEO and Founder of Braintree, she enables modern leadership to ensure change is sustainable.  

Breaking the Odds in a Male-Dominated Industry

Cindy’s career started in a leading Investment Bank in London. The financial services industry was renowned as being a heavily male-dominated sector, so as a young woman, she found that quite intimidating. Cindy quickly learned that in order to survive, she had to be amongst the fittest, and she really needed to excel in everything she did to be recognized for her commitment, skills, and experience. With a positive attitude, a hunger to learn, and a drive to take on every opportunity that was presented, Cindy was awarded opportunities that would test her resilience and stretch her way out of her comfort zone. She asserts that those experiences were life-changing, growing her confidence to another level and giving her the strength to face any challenge. She also attributes these breakthrough opportunities to others who saw the potential in this young woman and were willing to provide an opportunity for her to prove success.  

Conquering the Hierarchy Challenge with Confidence

Cindy recalls that one of the most challenging moments she faced in her career as a woman was during an experience in India. She continues that she was leading a presentation to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a large Indian bank. In India, it is customary to sit in order of hierarchy, so naturally, as the CEO of the software company and as the presenter, Cindy sat at the head, opposite to the CIO. That was clearly an uncomfortable situation for the CIO and during her presentation, his attempts to sabotage the presentation and belittle her were nothing more than an embarrassment for everyone in the room. Cindy says that she maintained her composure, addressed all the questions, and used both body language and verbal language to retain her power in the room, and as a subject matter expert she maintained her confidence and was able to secure the intentions of the presentation with that organization. In fact, so much so, that she was congratulated by the CIO on her presentation in a private meeting afterward. She adds that it was a moment in her life when she realized that gender was irrelevant. Cindy opines, “If you know your subject matter and you are confident, calm and collected, professional and ethical, you will succeed.”  

Human Transformation, the Essential Trait of a Leader

Cindy announces that she has another business that has been running since 1998. She adds that the company is called ‘Braintree.’ Braintree focuses on Human Transformation and Executive Coaching. Cindy remembers that in the earlier years, transformation projects were predominantly technology-related and she directed a A$70 million technology transformation program for a tier 1 Australian bank. She continues that she has since come to realize that whilst emerging technology is a crucial component that enables an organization and its people to remain relevant, valuable, and grow in the fourth industrial revolution where it’s never been a more competitive landscape, equally, the human transformation also plays an essential role. Cindy remarks that she understands that leadership is not just about technology, but it includes embracing the culture and the change of mindset that enables an organization and its people to remain relevant, valuable, and grow in a landscape that’s never been more competitive. She adds that, now, she balances technology solutions with human growth and development by empowering organizations and individuals, and as a Certified Executive Coach, she helps organizations transform leaders into achieving their true potential as modern leaders in the digital age. (https://youtu.be/oVr3L_DV9uc)  

Innovating from a Human-Centric View

Cindy declares that she is very methodical and a data-driven person. Therefore, all her innovations come from a human-centered point of view. She adds that she doesn’t believe that people should develop technology solutions and then go looking for the problem, rather identify the problem, who it relates to, and what that problem is costing businesses, and then define the solution. Cindy states that she has worked in the digital identity space for almost a decade now and others would say that she is an acknowledged thought leader with a track record of success, delivering sustainable transformation. With a deep understanding of the manual identification process in banking, she seized the opportunity to be the first to market and developed a ‘Digital Identity Verification’ platform to service enterprises with regulatory obligations. This was designed as an omnichannel solution, including a mobile application, and went on to work with blockchain-based solutions, ultimately gaining a seat on the board with Blockchain Australia, and continue to be a fellow of Blockchain Australia, assisting with regulatory related use cases. Cindy remarks that the solution she has now taken to market provides a citizen-centric ID application to improve customer experience and security. This includes the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud, and managed services and goes beyond people to include ‘processes’ and ‘things’ (IoT).  

A Rare Combo of Traditional Leadership and Modern Technologies

Cindy opines that Industry 4.0 has undoubtedly changed the face of technology as everybody knows it. She adds that all emerging technology solutions are driven by the exponential increase inaccessible data and this has changed people’s lives. Cindy cites that as consumers, people expect their experiences to be faster, quicker, and more personalized, and as enterprises, they are forced to embrace new technology in order to remain relevant. But interestingly, industry leadership style has not increased at the same exponential rate. She continues that the traditional leadership styles and structures can still be seen in many organizations, so as much as the world has had to metamorphose into new-age technologists, leaders and individuals also need to do the same. She ends with a note that despite the growth, there are still a lot of changes required in this area.  

Future: Consumers at the Heart of Digital Touchpoints

Cindy conveys that serendipID constantly strives to protect citizens’ data that is sitting in unknown locations, on unknown databases, with unknown access. It’s a scary situation and one that regulators are trying to keep up with, to provide rights to citizens about who uses their data, and how their data is used. She adds that the company looks at balancing the security of Personal Identifiable Information with user convenience. According to Cindy, today’s technology allows consumers to have full rights to their data and other relative concepts like how and where it is stored, and who it is shared with. Cindy cites that as technology continues to evolve, the consumer will be at the heart of all digital touchpoints including the people, enterprises, and ‘internet of things that they interact with. She continues that Industry 5.0 will see humans working alongside smart machines and robots in a manner that helps humankind work more efficiently, bringing a more personal touch to the emergence of technology that people have seen come out of Industry 4.0. Cindy declares that the combination of human intuition and problem solving with technology will see the ever-increasing need for these two segments to integrate and work together.  

Encouraging Women Leaders to Change the Mindset of the Society

Cindy states that she has a great deal of advice she would like to share with budding and emerging female leaders. She continues that she works with female leaders constantly and there is always a common theme. Cindy has created masterclasses for women to address the main concerns, which are often related to the imposter syndrome and she works directly with women so they break through barriers and realize their true potential. She concludes by saying that women leaders still have a lot of work to do in changing mindsets across industries and this will accelerate with the increased confidence women can learn to hold and portray. As a final note, Cindy says, “Always know that you have the right to a seat at the table and trust your instincts.”