Professional Overview
Baptiste Collot is the co-founder and CEO of Trustpair, a leading account validation automation platform specializing in fraud prevention in corporate finance operations. Founded in 2017, Trustpair serves over 400 enterprise clients, primarily large corporations across Europe and the United States, supporting finance teams in safeguarding against vendor payment fraud. The company operates with more than 200 employees and maintains headquarters in Paris and a North American office in New York, where Baptiste is based.
Prior to founding Trustpair, Baptiste accrued extensive experience in financial and treasury operations at major multinational companies. His career path includes:
- Bouygues SA: Served as Treasurer, including roles in cash management and front-office treasury. His tenure here deepened his expertise in market operations and strategic cash flow management in a complex corporate environment.
- DHL: Held the role of Cost Controller at the corporate headquarters level, where he focused on operational cost management and financial reporting.
- Veolia Environnement: Engaged in project management and financial reporting functions.
- IBM: Began his professional journey as a Junior Consultant, acquiring foundational skills in strategic consulting and project management.
Drawing from his treasury experience, especially dealing with the challenges of verifying vendor payment details and mitigating fraud risks, Baptiste founded Trustpair to offer an automated, data-driven solution addressing these vulnerabilities.
Key Contributions and Expertise
- Recognized for pioneering innovative payment fraud prevention technology, Trustpair offers a platform that validates vendor identities and their associated bank accounts by correlating internal client data with external sources such as banking entities and open banking APIs.
- Baptiste highlights the escalating threat of AI-powered fraud, including sophisticated scams involving deepfake technology and automated phishing targeting finance departments, emphasizing the limitations of traditional manual fraud controls.
- He advocates for automation and real-time verification integrated with ERP and treasury management systems, which significantly reduces operational burden and enhances detection accuracy.
- Baptiste's leadership merges financial operations expertise with technology-driven security solutions aimed at evolving the finance function's resilience against modern cyber fraud.
Educational Background
- Master's degree in Corporate Finance from EBS - European Business School Paris.
- Additional academic study in management, finance, macroeconomics, and marketing at Universidad Mayor (Chile).
- Early education culminated with a Baccalauréat Economique et Social (Mention Assez Bien) from Lycée Saint Vincent in Senlis, France.
- Also studied finance at Shanghai University, enriching his global perspective on financial systems and practices.
Industry Engagement and Thought Leadership
- Baptiste is active in discussions around AI and vendor payment fraud, regularly contributing insights on emerging risks, such as the automation of identity theft and the scaling of cyber fraud attacks.
- His views emphasize the necessity of combining personalized employee training with sophisticated technology tools to detect and prevent payment fraud effectively.
- Under his leadership, Trustpair is positioned at the forefront of mitigating evolving cyber risks impacting treasury and finance teams worldwide.
Company Impact and Metrics
- Trustpair's platform is employed daily by procurement, accounts payable, master data, and treasury professionals to secure millions of dollars in vendor payments by validating supplier identities and bank account authenticity.
- In 2023, Trustpair reported that 96% of companies experienced at least one cyber fraud attempt, with 36% of successful attempts resulting in losses exceeding $1 million, highlighting the critical nature of Trustpair’s solutions.
- The product significantly diminishes reliance on outdated, manual controls such as callbacks and email confirmations, which Baptiste identifies as inadequate in the contemporary threat environment.
This report consolidates Baptiste Collot’s professional trajectory, expertise in finance and fraud prevention, educational background, and his strategic role in steering Trustpair as an innovator in financial security technologies. His knowledge of treasury challenges, combined with entrepreneurial leadership, has positioned Trustpair as a key player in mitigating vendor payment fraud risks in the digital age.
