Xavier Shay, CEO of Australia’s innovative digital bank Up, has revealed his admiration for Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge, expressing his desire to share a run with the Olympic champion.
“I’d love to share a long run with him, even in silence – though I doubt I’d last more than a few kilometres at his pace,” Shay told the Financial Review, highlighting his respect for Kipchoge’s mental strength and athletic prowess.
Shay’s admiration for Kipchoge’s “calm and confidence” reflects qualities he has brought to his leadership at Up, Australia’s first mobile-only digital bank. Since taking the helm as CEO in August 2021, Xavier Shay has guided the fintech disruptor through remarkable growth, with the company reaching 400,000 customers within its first three years.
The tech leader brings substantial experience to his role. Before joining Up in April 2019, Xavier Shay spent nearly seven years in the United States with global fintech Square, where he led their Payments Engineering and Analytics team. He later worked as a leadership consultant for executive teams in San Francisco’s Bay Area and developed an Engineering Leadership course for the Bradfield School of Computer Science.
Under Shay’s leadership, Up has positioned itself as a challenger to Australia’s “big 4” banks, focusing on connecting younger consumers with digital savings, payments, and lending through an innovative approach described as “technology-led banking, not bank-led technology.”
Up began as a partnership between Bendigo Bank and software company Ferocia before Bendigo acquired Ferocia in 2021, appointing Shay as CEO to spearhead the next phase of growth. The bank continues to operate as the same brand with the same customer proposition.
Shay’s admiration for Kipchoge suggests a leadership philosophy that values endurance, mental fortitude, and quiet confidence- qualities that have served him well in disrupting Australia’s traditional banking landscape.
