Sima J. Gandhi brings nearly 20 years of experience working with senior level officials in the federal government, Fortune 100 companies, and tech companies. She is one of the few tech executives with government and operating experience at start-up, growth, and enterprise companies within heavily regulated industries.

She is currently the President and founder of Alton Strategies, a boutique policy and business advisory firm that advises companies on regulatory, policy, go-to-market, and m&a strategies. Alton also offers mediation and commercial negotiation support for business transactions and high net worth individuals.

More recently, Sima was co-founder and CEO of Creative Juice, a Forbes 50 Fintech and Fast Company Most Innovative Company. Creative Juice was acquired in 2023.

Prior to Creative Juice, Sima joined Plaid — one of the leading fintech companies started in the past decade — as its first business executive. She ran global bank partnerships and sales, public policy, and strategy. She architected Open Banking regulation in the U.S., and led the company’s sale to Visa for $5.4b. 

Earlier in her career, Sima held senior leadership roles at American Express where she launched Bluebird with Walmart (one of the industry’s first neobanks), drove Amex’s financial inclusion approach, and led strategy for new lending products. Prior to Amex, she oversaw the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and managed White House/regulatory relationships at the US Treasury Department. She started her career as a corporate tax attorney at Simpson Thacher. 

Sima holds a JD and LLM in tax law from New York University. She graduated from Stanford University with a BS in engineering and a BA with honors in Science, Tech, and Society. Sima lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and son.