Financial industry strategic and innovation leader brings broad expertise across financial services, wealth management and insurance industries to further enhance portfolio company growth as Industry Partner
New York and London, June 1, 2022 – Motive Partners (“Motive”), a specialist private equity firm focused on financial technology, today announced the appointment of Caroline O’Connell as an Industry Partner.
Motive Partners believes the adoption of new digital channels, innovative processes, and technologies will yield value-creating opportunities for forward-thinking investment firms that attract and develop world-class talent. As an Industry Partner, Caroline will advise the Motive Funds’ portfolio companies, bringing her unique expertise across the financial technology space as a seasoned operator. In this role, Caroline will focus on several areas including the design and execution of marketing, communications, human resources, and procurement strategies.
Before joining Motive Partners, Caroline was a member of the Operating Committee and the first Chief Strategy and Customer Experience Officer of Equitable, a financial services and insurance firm. Prior to Equitable, Caroline was a member of the Operating Committee of BNY Mellon and the Executive Committee of BNY Mellon Investment Services, where she was the first Chief Marketing Officer.
In addition, Caroline was the first Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at BNY Mellon Pershing, building Pershing’s marketing function from the ground up and leading strategy, communications, and product management.
Rob Heyvaert, Founder & Managing Partner at Motive Partners, commented: “As we continue to prove that technology has the ability to unlock huge value for financial technology portfolio companies, building out our team of world-class talent is an area of critical focus at Motive Partners, and one that I remain more passionate than ever about. With Caroline’s appointment, we continue to extend our edge, and look forward to working closely with Caroline as we design and execute our value creation plans with our portfolio companies.”
About Motive Partners
Motive Partners is a specialist private equity firm with offices in New York City and London, focusing on growth equity and buyout investments in software and information services companies based in North America and Europe and serving five primary subsectors: Banking & Payments, Capital Markets, Data & Analytics, Investment Management and Insurance. Motive Partners brings differentiated expertise, connectivity and capabilities to create long-term value in financial technology companies.
More information on Motive Partners can be found at www.motivepartners.com
For more information please contact:
Sam Tidswell-Norrish
Managing Director, Investor Relations
+447855910178 | sam@motivepartners.com

Biography
Caroline O’Connell is an innovator and accomplished marketing, strategy, and client experience executive who has added value to special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), venture capital and private equity firms, and Fortune 200 and 500 global companies across the financial services, wealth management, and insurance industries. Caroline is recognized for her strategic impact by leading and delivering innovative B2B, D2C, and B2B2C marketing strategies, human-centered design approaches, and transformational initiatives.
Caroline is an Independent Director and member of the Compensation Committee of Kingwood Acquisition Corp., a New York Stock Exchange-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) focused on the wealth management industry. She is a Senior Advisor and member of the Omega Network for Omega Venture Partners. She is also an Advisor to Provable Markets and Trove Collective.
Caroline was a member of the Operating Committee and the first Chief Strategy and Customer Experience Officer of Equitable.
Caroline O’Connell, Industry Partner at Motive Partners commented: “I am thrilled to join the talented team of investors, operators and innovators at Motive Partners. This is a terrific opportunity to bring my experience, knowledge, skills, and industry relationships together to help build a transformational set of solutions for the Motive wealth management ecosystem. Working with Rob and the team, I look forward to helping the portfolio of companies further realize their significant potential. It is my firm belief that investment firms that combine capital with transformational capability will be well placed to create significant long-term value for all stakeholders.”

Prior to Equitable, Caroline was a member of the Operating Committee of BNY Mellon and the Executive Committee of BNY Mellon Investment Services, where she was the first Chief Marketing Officer.
Caroline was the first Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at BNY Mellon Pershing. She built Pershing’s marketing function from the ground up and led strategy, communications, the chief of staff function for the Chief Executive Officer, innovation, and product management.
Caroline was a member of BNY Mellon’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Operating Committee, the first co-chair of Pershing’s Diversity Advisory Board, and was a member of the BNY Mellon Women’s Initiative Network Executive Committee at its inception.
The Financial Communications Society (FCS) awarded Caroline the Jamie E. DePeau Leadership Award, its highest honor, in recognition of her work that inspires others to think big and perform at their highest potential. She was an invited participant at the Aspen Institute Roundtable for Institutional Innovation. She was nominated to attend Harvard Business School’s Women’s Leadership Forum and the Next Women 50 Executive Leadership Forum. She was also a guest lecturer in the Executive MBA program at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Caroline is active in industry organizations and board service. She is a member of Extraordinary Women on Boards and is a founding member of the Outthinker Chief Strategy Officer Network and Chair of its Advisory Board. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Securities Industry Institute® (SII) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Board of Directors of the Insured Retirement Institute. She was also a member of the FCS Marketing Leadership Roundtable.
Caroline earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.
Important Information
Forward-looking statements herein are based on the beliefs and assumptions using information currently available. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. They also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Motive’s Industry Partners are third-party consultants engaged for their recognized expertise to advise Motive personnel and are not employees of Motive Partners.