Workplace culture doesn’t need more bros. It needs better leaders.

By Monika Liikamaa & Denise Johansson, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Enfuce.

You might remember when Mark Zuckerberg recently called for more “masculine energy” in the workplace, saying that “a culture that celebrates aggression” can be a good thing. Yep, that happened. We remember. And honestly? We’re still fuming.

But this isn’t just about Zuck. It’s about the systemic message behind the “billionaire bros” playbook: a mindset that values conquest over collaboration, dominance over inclusion, and short-term wins over long-term impact.

At Enfuce, we’ve rejected that mindset from day one.

Leading differently.

We’ve built Enfuce into a multi-million-euro, globally scaling fintech without following the outdated rulebook. Yes, we’re proud to be a female-founded, female-led company, but that’s not the whole story. What truly defines us is how we lead.

From the very beginning, we made equality a foundational pillar, not a line item in an ESG report. Today, over 50% of our leadership team are women. We’ve closed the gender pay gap. And DEI isn’t a side project, it’s a business-critical metric we measure, improve, and hold ourselves accountable to.

We’ve made deliberate, data-driven decisions to embed inclusion into every layer of how we operate. We review compensation regularly to maintain gender-balanced pay. We actively cultivate female leadership through mentorship, intentional recruitment, and visible role modelling. And we use our platforms, whether podcast episodes, video series, or keynote stages, to elevate female voices and challenge outdated norms.

More importantly, we’ve built a culture grounded in trust that promotes opportunity over hierarchy, and real inclusion over checkbox diversity.

Inclusion isn’t soft. It’s smart.

Empathy, collaboration, and intuition are often labelled “soft skills.” But we believe that in a high-pressure, fast-paced industry like fintech, these are among the hardest and most essential qualities to lead with.

At Enfuce, these values shape how we grow our teams, serve our customers, and scale our impact. Inclusion doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means removing barriers so everyone has the chance to rise. It means building a culture rooted in trust, creating meaningful opportunities, and choosing teamwork over ego.

Let’s be honest: kindness and empathy alone won’t build a million-euro company. But neither will cutthroat ambition that burns people out and ignores the real-world impact of business.

Success comes from pairing high standards with real purpose. From cultivating a workplace that rewards challenge, not toxicity. And from knowing that long-term value is built through people, not over them. That’s the culture we’ve created at Enfuce. And we know it works.

We’ve seen firsthand that inclusive leadership delivers results. That’s how we’ve powered over 52,900 prepaid cards and processed €170 million in secure, socially impactful payments, including those supporting refugees, unemployment benefits, and medical access through partnerships with the State Treasury of Finland and Kela.

Redesigning the leadership playbook.

So what should leadership look like in 2025?

Not more masculinity. Not more femininity. We need more humanity.

We need leaders who understand that doing the right thing isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom. That collaboration isn’t a compromise, it’s a strategy. That empathy, courage, and long-term thinking aren’t just good leadership traits, they’re essential for survival.

So no, we don’t need more of the bros’ playbook. We’re here to redesign it. And we’re inviting the entire industry to do the same.