Trade finance technology firm Mitigram has brought in former Contour chief executive and fintech veteran Carl Wegner to help expand its footprint in the Asian market. 

Singapore-based Wegner joins as business development director, a part-time role, reporting to chief strategy officer Ted Scheiman. 

Wegner spent over four years as chief executive of digital trade finance consortium Contour until it was acquired early this year by fintech firm Xalts, and will continue in an advisory role as the network continues its transition to new ownership. 

He has also recently launched Wegner Asia, a strategic consultancy specialising in scaling and innovating fintech companies, and has joined the T3i Partner Network, an advisory and consulting firm focused on trade finance and digitisation. 

Wegner previously held director roles at distributed ledger technology company R3, including as head of Asia, as well as senior positions at Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and TradeCard Asia Pacific in a financial services career spanning more than four decades. 

Mitigram, which is headquartered in Stockholm and provides digital trade solutions to financial institutions, says Wegner’s appointment will help expand the company’s footprint “in one of the world’s key trading regions”. 

“Asia’s importance in the global trade eco-system continues to grow,” Wegner tells GTR. “Whether it’s China, Southeast Asia or beyond, the opportunities for digital to make an innovative difference is great.” 

Wegner’s hire follows the May appointment of Pedram Tadayon as chief executive. The company was founded in 2014 and has secured funding from Nordic institutional investors, including Moor Holding.