Finastra appoints Chris Walters as new CEO, replacing Simon Paris

By Gloria Methri

Financial services software provider Finastra has announced a leadership change, appointing Chris Walters as its new CEO. Walters takes on the role as Simon Paris steps down after leading the company for nearly a decade.

Walters brings a wealth of experience from senior executive leadership positions, driving innovation and scaling technology companies. He recently served as CEO of Pluralsight and Avantax, a leading company in Financial Services.

During his tenure at Avantax, Walters oversaw significant performance improvements and led the company through a successful sale.

Prior to that, Walters served in a variety of leadership roles, including being a Partner at McKinsey & Company and the COO of Bloomberg Industry Verticals Group.

On his appointment, Walters said, “I am excited to join Finastra at this pivotal moment in its journey and am impressed by the significant progress that has been made during Simon’s leadership. I look forward to working with the talented team to drive sustainable growth and continue to deliver more value to our customers, team members, and investors.”

Under Simon’s leadership, Finastra reached significant milestones, such as building a customer base of over 8,000 clients across 130 countries (including 45 of the top 50 global banks). The company strengthened its position in Open Finance following the merger of Misys and D+H in 2017. It made strides in generative AI, upskilling employees and advancing approximately 50 AI capabilities from ideation to production stages.

During the transition period, Simon and Chris will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition.

Simon reflected on his tenure, saying, “This journey with Finastra has been a privilege. Chris is a seasoned professional, and I am honoured to ‘pass the baton’ to him. I leave incredibly proud of what Finastra has achieved so far and excited for the company’s future under Chris’s leadership.”