The LemFi Growth Manager has built campaigns that moved corridors, influenced competitors, and set new benchmarks for how diaspora financial products win user trust.
In the competitive African diaspora remittance market, standing out requires more than a good product. It requires someone who understands at a granular, lived level how diaspora communities make financial decisions, who they trust, and what compels them to act. Simisola Haastrup Laniyi, Growth Manager at LemFi, is that person. Over two years, she has built a body of work that has driven measurable commercial growth for one of the UK’s most prominent cross-border payment platforms, influenced the strategies of competitors, and set a new standard for community-led, data-driven growth in African diaspora fintech.
The Foundation
Simisola Haastrup Laniyi came to the UK as a postgraduate student, completing an MSc in Marketing Communications and Advertising at Kingston University with a Distinction, followed by a Professional Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Before entering the UK fintech space, she spent time at FirstBank of Nigeria, contributing to the WhatsApp Banking rollout that reached over 12 million customers, the digital launch of FirstMonie Agent Banking, and pioneering influencer marketing as a formal growth channel at the bank. Those early years forged the instinct that defines her work today: that in financial services, especially for diaspora communities, trust is the product.
Two Years at LemFi : By the Numbers
Simisola joined LemFi as Growth Marketing Lead and was promoted to Growth Manager in under two years. Her campaigns have delivered impact at corridor level: the boosted exchange rate initiative generated a 30% revenue uplift and was subsequently adopted by competitors including Monieworld and Africhange, a clear marker of its industry influence. The #MyLemFiStory campaign produced over 3,00 organic user submissions. The More Rewards campaign drove a 20% volume uplift in the UK and 40% in the US. The LemFi Masterclass and fireside series, an in-person brand trust series she launched, has attracted over 500 attendees across three editions. Her student programme onboarded over 1,000 users.
“The communities I serve are not abstractions. They are people I understand, cultures I belong to. That is not a marketing strategy, it is a starting point.”
In Q1 2026, Simisola was seconded to the US to address a persistent activation problem in the Nigeria corridor: high brand awareness, low transaction rates, and a significant pool of churned users. She established help desks in key Nigerian community hubs across Texas and Dallas, resolving onboarding friction on the ground and rebuilding brand trust through human presence. The corridor grew in volumes. The Texas More Rewards campaign she launched largely contributed to this volume, and the corridor’s retention rate reached 83%. On her return, she was promoted to Growth Manager.
Notable Recognitions
In 2025, Simisola was named Marketing Tech Leader of the Year and received the Digital Marketing Award at the Lagos Entrepreneurs Awards. She was featured on Techeconomy as part of its spotlight on women shaping Africa’s digital economy. Beyond her professional role, she mentors young Africans in the UK tech sector, has spoken at Nigerian Students’ Union UK events, and volunteered for over eighteen months to help Ikubari Africa, a creative content marketplace, secure a place in the AWS Build Accelerator from nearly 2,000 global applicants. She has also contributed to LemFi’s evolution into a neobank, supporting the launch of Savings, eSIM, and Credit products.
