WREN PONDER

Wren Ponder is a strategy and operations professional with experience advising financial institutions and payments companies on portfolio optimization, product, and transaction initiatives. She previously worked in the Banking and Payments practice at Strategy&, where she built portfolio-level financial analyses to support strategic planning, supported product development for global banks, and guided executive stakeholders through Day 1 transition planning.

Wren now runs her own San Diego–based business, bringing her strategy background to an entrepreneurial venture focused on sustainability. After dedicating much of her career to corporate work, she is excited to participate in Amplified’s efforts to support local nonprofits.

Wren holds an M.A. from Stanford University in East Asian Studies, specializing in China’s modern political economy, with research focused on private-sector financial innovation, its impacts on China’s state banking system, and regulatory responses. She earned her B.A. from Columbia University in East Asian Studies, with academic focus on 12th-century Chinese Buddhism.

Outside of work, Wren can usually be found with her husband and two dogs on local hiking trails or walking along the beach. She is a yoga instructor and dedicated meditation practitioner, with a deep love for silent meditation retreats.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wren-ponder-b55745146