Adyen has appointed Nicole Olbe as its new President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), effective 1 September 2026. Succeeding Alexa von Bismarck, Olbe brings over two decades of fintech experience from Barclaycard and Verifone to lead regional growth and cross-functional strategy from the London office.
In her new role, Olbe will be accountable for the performance and continued growth of the EMEA business. Her mandate spans all regional functions, extending beyond commercial execution to encompass cross-functional strategy, operational alignment, and sharpening Adyen’s global initiatives with a tailored regional lens. The existing organisational structure across the EMEA team remains unchanged.
Olbe brings over 20 years of experience in global payments and fintech to the executive position. Prior to joining Adyen, she held senior leadership roles across merchant acquiring, payment acceptance, and strategic partnerships at Barclaycard and Verifone. Recognised for her inclusive leadership style, Olbe has built a reputation for fostering high-performing teams, strengthening commercial ecosystems, and championing diversity and inclusion within executive leadership.
“Nicole’s extensive track record in global payments and her commitment to inclusive, team-first leadership make her exceptionally well-suited to helm our EMEA operations,” said Roelant Prins, Chief Commercial Officer at Adyen. “As we continue to expand, her ability to bridge regional needs with our global commercial strategy will be invaluable. We are also immensely grateful to Alexa for her leadership in EMEA and look forward to her driving enterprise-wide impact in her new global role.”
“I am thrilled to take on the role of EMEA President and build upon the strong foundation our teams have established,” said Nicole Olbe. “Adyen’s success across EMEA relies on our deep local market understanding and close cross-functional collaboration. I look forward to working alongside our regional teams to scale our platform capabilities and solidify Adyen’s position as the gold standard for global enterprise commerce.”
Olbe will remain based in Adyen’s London office while maintaining a frequent operational presence across EMEA offices.
