Nium, a provider of real-time cross-border payments, today announced the appointment of Spencer Hanlon to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Previously, Hanlon served as Nium’s Global Head of Travel, spearheading one of the company’s fastest-growing business units. Hanlon joined Nium in 2021 via the acquisition of Ixaris Group Ltd., where he served as Chairman.

In his new role as COO, Hanlon will lead and scale Nium’s day-to-day operations into its next phase of growth, with particular emphasis on new client onboarding, global technical services, and long-term strategic initiatives. He will report to Nium’s Founder and CEO, Prajit Nanu.

Commenting on the appointment, Hanlon said:

“During the three years I have been with Nium, I have witnessed first-hand the success of this forward-thinking acquisition, as it blossomed into a key part of this incredible cross-border payments scale-up. Now to have the opportunity to lead incredibly dedicated, intelligent, and fun-loving teams across the globe, within one of the world’s most admired fintechs, is both an incredible honour and cause of real excitement for me. To that end, I have the clear brief to continue to make everything we do here at Nium all about the customer. Honestly, I can’t wait to get started.”

Prior to joining Nium, Hanlon held various leadership positions with British Airways over the course of a decade. He has worked and lived in several markets, including the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Malaysia, Switzerland, Israel and Turkey. He furthered his career in travel payments with almost two decades at Lufthansa’s AirPlus International where he led teams in sales, marketing, processing, operations, and customer services – culminating in a stint as Managing Director and COO of AirPlus International GmbH – based out of their headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

Nium is confident that Hanlon’s appointment will further strengthen the company’s leadership team and enhance its ability to deliver exceptional value to its customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Hanlon succeeds Pratik Gandhi, who joined the company in 2016 and took over as Nium’s COO in 2019. Gandhi will move away from his operating role in the company by the end of this year and will continue to be associated with Nium as Co-founder Emeritus and advisor to Nium’s CEO.