Conversations with Catherine Fitzpatrick, Flequity Ventures

In this episode of Conversations in Sustainability, we sit down with Catherine Fitzpatrick, founder of Flequity Ventures, to unpack the confronting reality of financial abuse, and how the systems we rely on every day can be quietly weaponised to control and harm. Drawing on her experience as a senior banking executive, Catherine shares how analysing millions of transactions revealed hidden patterns of abuse, from manipulative payment messages to the misuse of shared financial tools. What began as an internal discovery quickly became a catalyst for change, leading her to challenge the way financial systems are designed. In this conversation, she explores how her work is driving industry-wide reform through a “financial safety by design” approach, shifting over 80 organisations from reactive responses to proactive prevention. It’s a powerful and thought-provoking episode that not only sheds light on a largely invisible issue, but also redefines the role businesses must play in building safer, more equitable systems.