Here’s the next installment in our periodic Q&A series highlighting women leaders in the fintech and banking space. We feature the innovation, fortitude and experience it takes to thrive in this fast-changing industry. And our interviews explore business opportunities on the horizon for financial services providers and their technology partners, as well as the unique qualities that these leaders bring to their roles.
Sarah Martin is CEO at Pulsate, a mobile-first, personalized consumer engagement platform tapped largely by community banks and credit unions. Launched in Dublin, Ireland, before a U.S. expansion, Pulsate’s data, for instance, capitalizes on banking customer intent signals to recommend next-best products that convert interest into action.
Martin says to compete in a widening financial services market, institutions of any size must believe they too can attract and retain customers, drive deposit growth and loan balances, as well as react to dynamic market fluctuations just like their neobank competition, money centers and others. Regional banks, community banks, credit unions and banks of all sizes can expand their approach and smartly use the resources they have by thinking as their customers do. Yes, data and technology are key, she says, but institutions should strategize how they can best leverage in-house capabilities, often with partnerships.
The design of her platform targets a specific goal, however, one she believes too many financial institutions take for granted: recognizing and acting on customer micro-engagements.
Finding value not just in product, but in service, in overall experience, in empathy, in message, in brand, in differentiation, in delivering highly personalized, contextual offers and communications directly within a bank or credit union’s existing mobile and digital banking platforms is what Martin has found can effectively transform a mediocre or even satisfactory digital or mobile banking channel into a comprehensive profit center. Every encounter is an opportunity. Feedback is data and data informs what can happen next.
Was there a motivation, market shortcoming or challenge in financial services that drove you toward your fintech solution or role?
The real turning point for me, and for our company, was the Covid pandemic. Before that, we were offering mobile marketing tools to a broad market, really anyone with an app. But when the pandemic hit, we saw something in financial services that couldn’t be ignored: branches closed almost overnight, and many financial institutions suddenly realized they had no real way to communicate with their customers via mobile in a meaningful, timely way.
That was the gap—and we knew how to solve it. We already had the tech, and more importantly, we had a strong reseller relationship with a digital banking provider. That meant we were well-positioned to act fast. We pivoted, focused our efforts on the banking sector, and leaned into helping credit unions and banks connect with their customers at a time when that connection was more critical than ever.
How did you go about convincing others and delivering that solution early on?
It wasn’t just about messaging, it was about helping them show up digitally with empathy, relevance and clarity.
That shift became the foundation of who we are today. Our business may have evolved since then, but the core motivation—helping financial institutions engage their customers with purpose—is still what drives us.
How do you think others describe your leadership style? Or if it’s more important to you, how do you describe yourself?
I think others might describe my leadership style as collaborative and supportive with a healthy dose of fun. I try to create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas and taking initiative. I care a lot about being clear with goals and expectations, and I do my best to listen actively and give thoughtful feedback. I’m definitely not perfect, but I genuinely want people to feel that I’m in their corner and that they can rely on me.
If I had to describe myself, I’d say I’m still growing as a leader. I try to lead with curiosity, ask good questions and stay open to feedback. I’m someone who believes that clarity and trust go a long way, and I try to build both. I’ve found that when people feel safe and supported, they do their best work—and that’s what I aim to enable as best I can.
What can the financial services industry do to make sure we are shaping future leaders, women especially, for our space?
One of the most powerful things we can do to shape future leaders—especially women—is to stop seeing people only in the roles they’re currently in. We need to look at their strengths and ask, where else could they thrive? Leadership isn’t just about moving up in one department. It’s about giving people the chance to move across disciplines, build range, and discover where they can make the biggest impact. That kind of exposure is what really prepares someone for leadership.
At the same time, we need to be proactive with coaching and mentoring—not just in a formal way, but in the day-to-day. Reminding women to use their voice, to own their power, and to trust that confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build. Often by failing, learning and trying again. That’s how resilience is built. One of the strongest young leaders in our org started in customer support. She was great at it, but it wasn’t until she had the chance to try other roles, including product management, that she really found her lane. Her leadership today is grounded in that broader experience, and in the confidence she earned the hard way—by doing, stretching, and sometimes struggling. That’s the kind of support and opportunity we need to create more intentionally.
The financial services space is challenged with economic, trade, legal and higher education uncertainty, alongside a shifting regulatory framework. What feels optimistic or where do you find clarity?
I’ve always believed in never letting a crisis go to waste. During the pandemic, we quickly recognized that banks and credit unions needed to find new ways to proactively serve their members because people couldn’t come into the branch. That moment of massive uncertainty pushed us, and the industry, to act fast. For us, it meant going from working with a handful of financial institutions to serving over 100 by the end of the crisis.
But the bigger picture is that those institutions came out stronger. They were digitally transformed, with member engagement strategies that are now far more agile and data-driven. Changes that might’ve taken 10 years were accelerated in a matter of months. And I believe the same is true now. Whatever the source of the uncertainty—in regulation, economy, politics—it’s another opportunity to show your customers you know them, you see them, and you’re there for them digitally. If you do that well, the trust you build now will pay off for decades. If you don’t, you risk becoming irrelevant. So yes, there’s uncertainty, but also huge clarity, if you’re willing to act on it.
Read more from the series:
Parlay Finance’s Alex McLeod on smartly expanding capital access for small businesses
Beth McCoy on taking banking loyalty programs from afterthought to strategic advantage
Data-first strategies strengthen relationship banking and help smaller banks compete
