032 Priya Venkat
Marketing Lead, SC Ventures by Standard Chartered
Priya Venkat is the marketing lead at SC Ventures by Standard Chartered, the innovation and venture arm of Standard Chartered. She’s based in Singapore where she also held senior marketing roles at Citi and Uber. Prior to that, she spent over five years at Visa in various marketing and strategy roles.
“Sort of like building the plane while you’re flying it.”
The interview
What’s your coffee ritual?
I’m more of a tea person, dabbling in coffee. Mid-morning flat white is a good energization point. Anything in the afternoon and I can’t be held accountable.
What was your first marketing job?
One of the most fun marketing jobs ever. Brand Manager of Pepsi Max and I got to see it through a rebrand! (Side note: I think all aspiring marketers could benefit from a stint in CPG.)
What finance apps do you have on your home screen?
As a working mom in Asia it’s mostly local payment apps that make my life efficient and earn me rewards e.g. GrabPay. Grab is a local ride hailing app and its wallet is accepted everywhere, including local hawkers. Also Seedly to make sure my kids aren’t draining my savings!
Which newsletter, podcast, or book do you recommend most?
Don’t Believe Everything You Think - sometimes, we are our own worst enemies.
What’s an underrated growth channel in fintech?
Influencers. There’s still a significant education component to finance, especially when going mass market. Influencers are a great way to propagate a deeper understanding of your product and features through voices that resonate with your target audience.
What keeps you up at night?
Professionally, it’s keeping up with the pace of change, currently being dominated by AI. Sort of like building the plane while you’re flying it. Which platform / tool is the best holistic fit for purpose and most efficient, while our marketing plans and goals continue to evolve?
What are the most useful measurement tools you use in your work?
We’re currently in the middle of redesigning our website and content so GA4, Semrush, and Meltwater for social listening / brand perceptions.
What’s one fintech brand (other than your own) that’s getting marketing right?
N26 - they’re doing a good job connecting with younger consumers.
Why is marketing so hard?
It’s hard when you don’t have a clear understanding of your target consumer and exactly which of their needs are fulfilled by your product. I see this time and again - stakeholders and partners are in a rush to get the product to market, so there’s a lot of retrofitting the message vs. building it from concrete consumer insights.
Whose answers to the above questions would you most like to read?
Chris Kempczinski - he’s a marketer turned CEO and I wonder how his marketing background influences his business strategy and leadership.