Chris van Straeten, the CEO and co-founder of Safened, has an impressive professional background. He studied business economics and chartered accountancy at the Universiteit van Tilburg, and also completed an international executive program at INSEAD. Chris has held leadership roles in a variety of organizations, including ABN AMRO Bank N.V., where he was the executive vice president and concerndirecteur of group audit and head corporate accountants. He's also worked at F. van lanschot Bankiers/Private Bank, BDO The Netherlands, and Inalfa Roof Systems Group.

In 2015, Chris co-founded Fourthline, a digital onboarding solution for banks and fintechs, where he served as its statutory director. He also co-founded Safened in 2016 and served as its CFRO before becoming CEO. Safened is a regulated fintech company that offers a B2B deposit platform, connecting partner banks with broker-dealers and their clients. The platform provides banks with a wholesale funding tool and investors with a diversified deposit product. Chris is a licensed payments institution and regulated by the Dutch Central Bank (DNB), the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). He also participated in senior management courses at ABN AMRO, where he developed his leadership skills.