# Wirex Adds Starling Co-Founder Julian Sawyer to UK Board as Independent Director > Wirex Limited appointed Julian Sawyer, co-founder and former COO of Starling Bank, as an independent non-executive director. - Published: 2026-11-10T16:11:26+00:00 - Section: Leadership - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-10/wirex-julian-sawyer-board-appointment - Source: [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wirex-strengthens-uk-board-with-appointment-of-julian-sawyer-as-independent-non-executive-director-302935137.html) ## Key takeaways - Julian Sawyer, co-founder and former COO of Starling Bank, joined Wirex Limited's board as an Independent Non-Executive Director. - Sawyer previously served as Managing Director, Europe at Gemini and CEO of Bitstamp and Zodia Custody. - Sawyer's appointment follows Kulveer Ranger, The Lord Ranger of Northwood, joining Wirex Labs as Board Adviser earlier in the week. [Wirex](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00003km/wirex) Limited appointed Julian Sawyer, co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Starling Bank, as an Independent Non-Executive Director, the company said in a [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wirex-strengthens-uk-board-with-appointment-of-julian-sawyer-as-independent-non-executive-director-302935137.html) announcement on November 10, 2026. Sawyer brings over 30 years of experience in regulated financial businesses to the board of the UK-headquartered payments provider. ## Sawyer's Role and Prior Experience Sawyer co-founded Starling Bank in 2015 and served as its Chief Operating Officer until 2019, leading the bank's operations, including its card launch and Starling Payment Services, its platform giving other firms access to UK payment schemes. He went on to become Managing Director, Europe at Gemini, and then Chief Executive Officer of Bitstamp and Zodia Custody. He is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of Recognise Bank. As an Independent Non-Executive Director, Sawyer will provide independent oversight and challenge to the Board, including on strategy, risk and controls, and customer oversight. Chetan Shah, CEO of Wirex Limited, said: "I'm delighted to welcome Julian to the Board of Wirex Limited. He has built and run some of the UK's most successful, regulated financial businesses from the ground up, and his independent perspective will help Wirex to continue growing safely and sustainably." Sawyer said: "Having worked across banking and payments, I've seen how much the industry has matured. The next generation of financial services in the UK will be built on the foundations of trust, sound regulation and reliable infrastructure, and I'm excited to join the Board to supporting the Wirex team as they continue to implement that, with a strong focus on governance and customer outcomes as the business grows." ## Wirex's Scale and Funding Record According to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Wirex was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in London, with a headcount range of 251-500 and a revenue estimate of $50 million-$100 million. The records list four funding rounds, including a Series B of $19.9 million in December 2021, an equity crowdfunding of $4.7 million in September 2020, a Series A of $3 million led by SBI Group in March 2017, and an equity crowdfunding of $186,596 in November 2015. Total funding stands at $27.8 million. ## Earlier Leadership Moves at Wirex Sawyer's appointment follows that of Kulveer Ranger, The Lord Ranger of Northwood, as Board Adviser to Wirex Labs earlier this week, as Wirex builds out its leadership for its next stage of growth. On November 2, 2026, PR Newswire reported that Wirex appointed Lord Ranger as Board Adviser to Wirex Labs, its UK digital asset arm, ahead of the FCA's new digital asset regime, effective October 2027, which will regulate UK digital asset firms. ## Sawyer's Full Stack London Appearance On November 12, Sawyer will be speaking at Full Stack London, Wirex's new stablecoin infrastructure conference, a one-day, closed-door event where founders, CEOs and technical builders can discuss what it takes to make stablecoins work in payments. Opposite Wirex's CCO, Daniel Rowlands, they'll discuss why infrastructure provider models fail, and lessons from the industry, in a fireside chat. ## Companies in this story - [Wirex company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00003km/wirex) · website: https://wirexapp.com --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt