Brazilian pop star Anitta is no longer part of Nubank‘s board of directors. After a year in the executive position, the singer is taking on a new challenge as a global ambassador for the digital bank.
According to Nubank, the change will accommodate Anitta’s new positioning as an international artist with an increasingly tight schedule. As Nubank explained in a statement, the popstar will complete her term at the 2022 Annual General Meeting but will not return to her position on the board.
Even so, the relationship between the two parties will continue. “Anitta will keep working closely with the company as a global brand ambassador, supporting strategic campaigns and communication projects, including topics such as financial education and social impact, in addition to Nubank’s activities as a sponsor of the 2022 World Cup”, said the company.
Anitta’s participation in projects such as the World Cup will also help reinforce Nubank‘s positioning as an international brand. After cornering the Brazilian market, with around 52.4 million customers, the challenge for David Vélez’s company is to expand in foreign countries where it already operates. According to data released in February, the digital bank has 1.4 million customers in Mexico and 114 thousand in Colombia.
But back to Anitta, Nubank highlighted some of the singer’s actions during her time on the board. Upon joining the board on June/21, the popstar caught the market’s attention for not doing what is expected of a celebrity in a startup. Instead of doing the traditional media for equity, Anitta wasn’t just the face of the brand. She took action, as highlighted by neobank.
“Over the past year, Anitta has played a key role with her business experience and marketing knowledge. As a member of the Stakeholders Committee, she contributed to establishing our ESG strategy, launching Instituto Nu, and other relevant matters,” the bank said in a statement.
“Anitta is an extraordinary businesswoman, and we are very grateful for her contributions to this day. Since joining Nubank, she has played an important role in bringing much of that expertise and knowledge to our company. We look forward to continuing to work with her on her new mission as a marketing ambassador,” said founder and CEO David Vélez.
Despite no longer being on the board, Anitta remains a shareholder and looks forward to the work that will be developed with the brand. “Receiving the invitation to be Nubank’s global ambassador made me extremely happy and proud. I take on this new responsibility by working to develop the financial education of millions of people”, says the artist.
New board member
While some leave, others arrive. Thuan Pham, former chief technology officer at Uber and current CTO at Coupang, is the new member of the board of directors. He will help Nubank scale its technology platform for the next decade of growth.
According to David Vélez, Thuan comes to reinforce Nubank‘s focus on technology. “We are excited to work with him and solve some of the most complex technology and scalability challenges facing a rapidly growing company like ours,” said Vélez in a statement.
“Nubank is one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world, and it’s just the beginning. There are many opportunities for us to use technology to serve even more customers with more products and services over the coming months and years. I am delighted to join this mission and look forward to working with the board and leadership team to continue building and taking Nubank to new heights,” said Thuan Pham in a press statement.
In addition to Pham, Nubank‘s Board of Directors includes Anita Sands, Daniel Goldberg, Doug Leone, Jacqueline Reses, Luis Alberto Moreno, Muhtar Kent, Rogério Calderón, and David Vélez, Chairman of the Board.
(translation by Gabriela Del Carmen)