Mike Whitehead

Head of Market Growth – UK & France

Mike Whitehead is the Business Head of UK & France at Intellect Design Arena Limited. Mike leads a sales organisation covering Wholesale and Consumer Banking, delivering significant revenue growth and securing major banking technology mandates.

He is a highly experienced financial services executive specialising in Transaction Banking, FX and Financial Institutions. Over his career he has held senior leadership positions with major global banks and financial technology businesses across EMEA and APAC.

Michael has also held senior global and regional roles at HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan. At HSBC, he was Global Head of Financial Institutions Strategy, developing strategy across cash, trade, securities and FX and establishing risk frameworks for correspondent banking. At Bank of America Merrill Lynch, he led the Financial Institutions business across EMEA, delivering sustained double-digit revenue growth. His J.P. Morgan career included leadership roles spanning Financial Institutions, Central Banks and Sovereign Wealth Funds, Sub-Custody, Clearance & Agency and Treasury Services across Europe and APAC.

Previously, as Chief Operating Officer at FreemarketFX, he was responsible for product strategy, banking relationships and operations across the UK and Ireland. Mike combines strategic leadership with deep expertise in sales, product management, technology, risk and business transformation.

He holds an MPhil in the Impact of Technology on Banking and a BSc (Hons) in Banking and International Finance from Loughborough University Business School.