About River
Our Executive Team
Alexander Leishman is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer at River. Mr. Leishman brings his deep expertise in software engineering, information security, and Bitcoin to River where he oversees investor relations, corporate strategy, and engineering. Prior to co-founding River Financial, Alexander most recently served on the investment and engineering teams at Polychain Capital and Polychain Labs focusing on Bitcoin-related venture investments. Mr. Leishman has previously served as an engineer at Airbnb's security team, a management consultant for Deloitte, and first got deeply involved in the Bitcoin industry as an early engineer at Maicoin, Taiwan's largest digital asset exchange. Mr. Leishman holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master's in Computer Science from Stanford University where he helped teach the first Bitcoin class under Professor Dan Boneh.
Julia Duzon is the Chief Operating Officer at River. Ms. Duzon brings her extensive experience in product strategy and business operations in banking to River, where she oversees business development, operations, marketing, and sales. Prior to joining River, Julia served as the Senior Director of Sales, Strategy, and Business Operations at First Republic Bank. Previously, Julia served as a Strategy and Operations Consultant at Deloitte, where she worked with U.S. banking clients on engagements related to bank strategy, operations, and risk management. Ms. Duzon holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Duke University.
Bill Mongan is the General Counsel at River. In this role, Mr. Mongan is responsible for evaluating new product strategy and managing River’s day-to-day legal matters. Prior to joining River, Bill was a member of the litigation group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he represented financial services clients in complex disputes. Mr. Mongan holds an A.B. in English from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
James Page is the Director of Product at River Financial. In this role, James is responsible for driving product strategy and managing River's product management and design teams. Prior to joining River, James was a product manager at Pinterest and Meta where he worked on AdTech products to empower advertisers to create and manage their ads on the respective social media platforms. James holds a B.A. from American University in Washington DC.
Joe Bryan is the Director of Finance at River, where he oversees the Accounting, FP&A, and Financial Operations teams. Joe joined River at a very early stage and has filled many roles in his time, including Chief of Staff, and Head of Financial Operations. Prior to joining River, Joe was the Director of Operations at Imperyo, a restaurant group based out of Columbus, Ohio. He has also served as a forecast analyst for a large CPG. Joe holds a degree in Finance and a degree in Public Affairs from Ohio State University.
Ellen Weaver is the Director of People at River, where she oversees people operations, hospitality, and IT functions. Ms. Weaver earned her degree in Business and Hospitality from Glion Institute of Higher Education, in Montreux, Switzerland. She focuses her hospitality training into building the best possible workspaces and culture here at River. Prior to joining River, Ellen worked in business operations for Strada Investment Group, where she led cross-functional teams providing operations and hospitality support.
Laura Christiansen is the Director of Accounting at River, where she oversees accounting and financial reporting. Prior to joining River, Laura served as a Senior Manager at PwC where she led cross-functional teams providing audit and assurance services to clients in FinTech and Financial Services in the US, Canada, and Europe. Laura is a licensed Chartered Public Accountant in the state of California, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's Smith School of Business.