Ovanti Limited (ASX: OVT) has announced the Ovanti US Advisory Board Appointment, naming Alessandro (Alex) Gambotto as Chair of its newly-established U.S. Advisory Board. The appointment comes as the fintech advances its U.S. BNPL expansion and prepares for the commercial launch of Flote, its affordability-first BNPL offering targeting underserved American consumers.
Ovanti appoints tech industry heavyweight to chair US advisory board
Alex Gambotto brings 27+ years of founder-CEO experience to the role, having established The Missing Link in 1997 and built it into one of Australia’s largest cybersecurity and managed services providers. In 2025, he led the company through a strategic sale to global technology giant Infosys, with media reports citing an indicative valuation exceeding A$100m. Gambotto remains CEO of The Missing Link, guiding its integration into Infosys and continued expansion across APAC and North America.
The appointment signals Ovanti is building serious governance infrastructure around its U.S. expansion, moving beyond development into commercialisation readiness. Gambotto will oversee strategic guidance across operational readiness, enterprise partnerships, and capital-markets execution as the company progresses its U.S. go-to-market programme, merchant integrations, and previously announced SPAC transaction pathway.
He has been appointed for an initial term of 18 months (subject to renewal), with base remuneration set at AUD$15,000 per month (exclusive of GST) plus disbursements.
Who is Alex Gambotto?
Gambotto is one of Australia’s most respected technology founders. Over nearly three decades of continuous leadership, he has led The Missing Link to become a top-tier national cybersecurity provider across offensive security, defensive security, managed detection and response, cloud transformation, and AI-enabled IT operations. He was inducted into the ARN Hall of Fame, recognising his multi-decade contribution to Australia’s technology and cybersecurity ecosystem.
| Credential | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company founded | The Missing Link (1997) |
| Leadership tenure | 27+ years as Founder & CEO |
| 2025 transaction | Strategic sale to Infosys |
| Reported valuation | Exceeding A$100m |
| Recognition | ARN Hall of Fame inductee |
The Missing Link now employs hundreds of staff and services blue-chip enterprises across the Asia-Pacific region. Gambotto has overseen significant scale, with the company repeatedly breaking revenue records and ranking among the most awarded IT service providers in the region. He is widely known in the industry for mentoring senior technical leaders and building enterprise-grade delivery teams capable of handling mission-critical operations.
Gambotto brings to Ovanti a rare combination of founder-operational capability, large-scale enterprise partnership experience, M&A and corporate transaction execution, digital and cybersecurity expertise, and commercial leadership in highly regulated, trust-heavy industries. This combination is directly relevant to scaling a fintech product in the U.S. market.
What the advisory board will oversee
As Chair of Ovanti’s U.S. Advisory Board, Gambotto will provide direct oversight and strategic guidance across five key areas:
- U.S. BNPL operational readiness
- Flote commercialisation strategy and launch governance
- Enterprise sales, merchant onboarding, and partnership structuring
- Risk, technology, and cybersecurity frameworks suited to U.S. financial services
- Capital-markets execution and transaction readiness, including U.S. SPAC pathways and institutional engagement
Gambotto will work closely with the U.S. Executive Team, the CEO, and the Ovanti Limited Board. The integration into the existing leadership structure indicates a hands-on advisory role rather than a ceremonial position.
Performance-linked incentives
Gambotto’s remuneration includes a performance-based shares and options plan, which will be formulated by the Board of Directors and put to shareholders for approval at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The equity package is tied to the success of Ovanti’s U.S. BNPL roll-out, measured by the attainment of total transaction value (TTV) and users to the Flote app.
The alignment of incentives with U.S. rollout success demonstrates a skin-in-the-game structure for advisory leadership, linking Gambotto’s financial outcomes directly to commercial performance metrics.
Director commentary on strategic fit
Josh Quinn, Non-Executive Director and Company Secretary of Ovanti, framed the Ovanti US Advisory Board Appointment as strengthening execution discipline and enterprise credibility:
Josh Quinn, Non-Executive Director & Company Secretary
“Alex is one of the most successful founder-CEOs in Australia’s technology industry. Building a company from scratch into a national cybersecurity and managed-services powerhouse — and then executing a major strategic sale — demonstrates the calibre of leadership required to scale Flote in the United States. His appointment immediately strengthens our execution discipline, credibility with enterprise partners, and our ability to commercialise an affordability-first BNPL model at national scale in the U.S. market.”
Quinn’s comments position the appointment as bringing operational rigour and M&A experience to a fintech at a critical commercialisation phase.
Gambotto’s own statement emphasised the product-market fit opportunity:
Alex Gambotto, Chair, U.S. Advisory Board
“Ovanti is taking on one of the biggest inefficiencies in U.S. consumer finance — enabling fair, transparent, cash-flow-based affordability rather than legacy credit scoring. I’ve spent 25+ years building and scaling technology organisations, solving complex problems and partnering with enterprise customers. Flote has the right product thesis at the right time, supported by a hungry, execution-driven team. I’m excited to help guide and be a part of the next chapter of Ovanti’s U.S. growth.”
Where Ovanti’s US expansion stands
The advisory board appointment slots into a broader U.S. commercialisation timeline. Investors should view this as governance infrastructure being built alongside product development. Gambotto’s appointment comes as Ovanti advances several active workstreams:
- U.S. BNPL platform development and AI-driven affordability engine
- Merchant integrations and partnership announcements
- U.S. commercial readiness for Flote
- Capital-markets strategy, including its previously announced SPAC transaction pathway
The company has been expanding operations for BNPL services into the United States, leveraging its technology solutions and expertise across fintech and digital commerce. Ovanti’s existing business divisions service leading banks in Malaysia and large telecommunications companies and corporates in Malaysia and Indonesia.
What is Flote?
Flote is Ovanti’s U.S. BNPL offering, differentiated by its cash-flow-based affordability assessment rather than legacy credit scoring. The platform is positioned to address a structural gap in U.S. consumer finance where traditional credit scoring excludes otherwise creditworthy consumers.
The “affordability-first” approach evaluates a consumer’s ability to repay based on actual cash flow rather than historical credit behaviour, targeting an underserved segment of the American market. This model aligns with regulatory scrutiny of BNPL providers and consumer protection frameworks focused on responsible lending.
Want the Next Fintech Breakout in Your Inbox?
Join 20,000+ investors receiving FREE breaking ASX news within minutes of release, complete with in-depth analysis. Click the “Free Alerts” button at Big News Blast to get fintech announcements and expert coverage delivered straight to your inbox the moment news breaks.