Christian Nentwich

Founder & Chief Executive Officer Duco

Last Reviewed: September 26, 2026

Executive Summary

Christian Nentwich founded Duco, a London-based platform that uses AI to automate data work in financial institutions, and is its chief executive. Duco says it has more than 200 customers, including a large share of the world’s 20 biggest banks, processes over 14 billion transactions a month and is backed by Nordic Capital. Nentwich led Duco for its first decade and through its sale to Nordic Capital, then handed the CEO role to Michael Chin and stayed on as a board member and advisor. He returned as CEO in March 2026. Since February 2025 he has also chaired fiskaly, a fiscal compliance technology company. He was born in Austria and holds a BSc and a PhD in computer science from University College London.

Career Highlights

• Returned as Chief Executive Officer of Duco on 16 March 2026, with Michael Chin moving to a senior advisory role.
• Founded Duco and led it through its first decade, including its exit to Nordic Capital.
• Served on Duco’s board and advised the company, focusing on product direction and AI in financial services, during roughly two years away from the CEO role.
• Appointed Chairman of the Board of fiskaly in February 2025, and invested in the company.
• Co-founded Systemwire while at university and sold it to Message Automation.
• BSc and PhD in computer science from University College London, and winner of the medal of UCL’s Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Professional Journey

Nentwich grew up in Austria and moved to the UK at 19, having already been programming for nearly ten years. He studied computer science at University College London, taking a BSc and then a PhD, and won the medal of UCL’s Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

While still at university he co-founded Systemwire, a software company started with a Smart Feasibility Grant from the Department of Trade and Industry. Companies House records him as a director from November 2002 to June 2006, and it was sold to Message Automation after about three years.

He then built Duco. The operating company, first registered as Model Two Zero Limited in January 2006, took the Duco name in 2016. He has said he started Duco after seeing the data management problems financial services firms struggled with. It now describes itself as an AI-powered data automation platform for global financial institutions. By early 2020 it had more than 100 staff and had closed a $28 million Series B with Insight Partners. Nentwich later took the company through its sale to Nordic Capital, which still backs it.

After about ten years as chief executive he handed the role to Michael Chin and stayed on the board as an advisor on product direction and the use of AI in financial services. In February 2025 fiskaly appointed him Chairman of the Board. The company described him as an investor in venture capital and private equity funds and a mentor to founders.

In March 2026 Duco announced that Nentwich was returning as CEO. Chin said the operational, governance and commercial milestones he had been brought in for had been reached. Nentwich said the deployment of agentic AI in financial services “needs to proceed safely and with an eye on regulatory compliance”. Duco’s current executive team lists him as Founder & Chief Executive Officer.

Education

University College London

BSc, Computer Science

University College London

PhD, Computer Science