About Joe:

Joe H Norena is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 20 years of operational leadership experience spanning global financial institutions and high-growth technology startups. Joe served as the Chief Operating Officer at Builder.ai. Joe has guided the company through critical growth phases from Series A to Series D funding, scaling operations from 250 to over 1,000 employees across eight countries while expanding delivery output by 500% and achieving a customer satisfaction score of 3.5 out of 4.0.

Prior to Builder.ai, Joe founded N1, LLC, a strategic advisory firm focused on financial services and technology startups, where he provided C-suite level mentoring as well as guidance on operational excellence and digital transformation. His extensive financial services background includes a decade-long tenure at HSBC Bank PLC as Managing Director, where he held multiple senior leadership roles including Americas Chief Operating Officer for Global Markets, Global Head of Corporate Digital, and Global COO for Currencies and Commodities. During his time at HSBC, Joe successfully spearheaded two digital transformation programs, led six US regulatory examinations, and implemented cost optimization programs.

Joe’s career foundation was built through progressive leadership roles at prestigious institutions including Bridgewater Associates (Head of Execution Trading), Vinya Capital LLP (Partner and President), Deutsche Bank (Managing Director), and Citibank, where he developed deep expertise in trading, operations, risk management and mentoring across global markets.

A Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from St John’s University, Joe is recognized for his ability to build high-performance cultures that empower teams to co-create with customers and deliver measurable business outcomes. His core competencies include strategic leadership, leadership mentoring, operational excellence, technology innovation, governance and compliance, and organizational culture transformation.

Beyond his executive roles, Joe actively contributes to the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a mentor in BUILD’s High School Entrepreneurial Program and served as an Ambassador to the Women in the COO Community through Armstrong Wolfe. He has shared his insights on leadership and digital transformation through various speaking engagements and was featured as a guest on Barry O’Reilly’s UNLEARN Podcast, discussing “Living your Leadership Principles to Learn and Unlearn.”

Joe is married, has four children, and enjoys tennis, cooking, reading and traveling Joe is looking forward to helping Founders, leadership team members or anyone who wants to be mentored to be a better leader.

About Level39:

Level39 is a melting pot of innovators, investors, industry experts and ambitious entrepreneurs, pioneering change across the sectors that
dictate our experiences in daily life – FinTech, Cyber Security, Data & AI, GreenTech, Life Sciences and more.

Our flexible co-working, private office space and ecosystem activities provide members with access to the environment and growth opportunities they need to develop into world-leading businesses, that have a major financial and social impact.