Danielle Lauzon Named Rising Finance Leader in the 2026 Digiday Future Leader Awards

Danielle Lauzon, VP of Growth and Strategy at Fintel Connect, has been named the winner of the Rising Finance Leader category in the 2026 Digiday Future Leader Awards.

Her recognition highlights her work helping banks, credit unions, and fintechs modernize customer acquisition through smarter, more measurable and compliance-aware affiliate marketing strategies.

Key accomplishments include:

• Helping drive billions of dollars in new deposits through affiliate marketing
• Supporting thousands of new funded accounts across U.S. financial institutions
• Contributing to a 650% increase in new-customer growth for a regional bank over a 12-month period
• Contributing to a 250% year-over-year lift in deposits for a leading digital bank
• Advancing data-led benchmarking to help marketers better understand acquisition efficiency
• Bringing client insights into the development of Fintel Check, Fintel Connect’s automated content compliance monitoring solution

The Digiday Future Leader Awards recognize the next generation of leaders making a meaningful impact in their industries. This year’s winners reflect a modern model of leadership focused on measurable results, innovation, collaboration, mentorship, and long-term growth.

Danielle’s recognition in the Rising Finance Leader category demonstrates the role she has played in helping banks, credit unions, and fintechs rethink how they approach customer acquisition through affiliate marketing. In a market where financial institutions are under pressure to grow efficiently while maintaining compliance and trust, Danielle has helped show how affiliate marketing can support both performance and governance.

“This award reflects the work of a team that is deeply committed to helping financial institutions grow through more efficient, measurable acquisition strategies,” said Danielle Lauzon, VP of Growth and Strategy at Fintel Connect. “For us, that starts with listening closely to the challenges our clients are facing, having a deep understanding of the realities of regulated acquisition, and building affiliate marketing programs that connect financial institutions with the right partners for sustainable growth.”

For many financial institutions, customer acquisition has become more complex.

Marketing teams are expected to:

• Reach new audiences
• Improve return on investment
• Maintain compliance standards
• Prove channel performance
• Grow without adding unnecessary operational complexity

Danielle’s work sits directly at the center of those priorities.

At Fintel Connect, she works across client growth, affiliate strategy, and program development, helping financial brands build affiliate marketing programs that connect them with trusted publisher partners and measurable performance opportunities.

Her approach has helped financial institutions move affiliate marketing from an experimental or secondary channel into a more strategic part of their growth mix.

Danielle’s impact is reflected in the outcomes Fintel Connect has helped financial institutions achieve. Under her leadership, affiliate marketing and partner-led acquisition programs have contributed to:

• Billions of dollars in new deposits
• Thousands of new funded accounts
• A 650% increase in new-customer growth for a regional bank over 12 months
• A 250% year-over-year lift in deposits for a leading digital bank

These results point to the growing role of affiliate marketing in financial services, especially for teams looking for acquisition strategies that are measurable, scalable, and built for regulated environments.

Danielle is known internally and by partners for her curiosity, analytical depth, and ability to simplify complex growth challenges.

One example is her work helping advance a performance benchmarking framework that gives financial institutions clearer visibility into acquisition efficiency across channels, including affiliate marketing. This has helped marketers better understand true return on investment and make more strategic budget decisions.

Her frontline experience with clients also helped shape the development of Fintel Check, Fintel Connect’s automated content compliance monitoring solution. The tool was built to help solve real operational challenges faced by marketers, compliance teams, and publishers in financial services.

In under six years, Danielle has grown from Team Lead to VP of Growth and Strategy at Fintel Connect. Danielle’s recognition is a proud moment for Fintel Connect and a reflection of the broader work being done to help financial institutions grow through smarter, more measurable strategies.