Kristy Trieste joined Motive Partners in 2017, where she is a Founding Partner, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, leading Finance, Operations, Legal, Compliance, Human Capital, IT and Marketing operations.

As a member of the Motive leadership team, she is also an observer of the firm’s Growth & Buyout Investment Committee.

Kristy has built the firm’s operating foundation from scratch, enabling Motive to raise significant capital and scale into a global leader in fintech private equity. As a founding member of the Motive team, Kristy was instrumental in building the finance, compliance and operations functions starting from the successful close of Motive Capital Fund 1 in 2019, which secured over $485 million in capital from public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, alternative asset managers, family offices, endowments and foundations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia. Following the successful close of Motive’s first fund, Kristy was again instrumental in leading Motive’s financial operations in support of the capital raise for the firm’s second fund, which closed at $2.54 billion (inclusive of co-investment), positioning Motive as one of the world’s largest investors exclusively focused on financial technology.

In 2025, Kristy was named a finalist for the Markets Choice Women in Finance Trailblazer award, a testament to her decades in private equity and financial services, breaking barriers as the youngest founding team member of Motive, and now a dual-role executive trusted with steering the firm’s functional operations. She was named CFO of the Year by The Drawdown in 2023, recognizing her outstanding leadership and impact. Known for her relentless drive, Kristy is often described as thinking of Motive as her “third child” – a reflection of the passion and ownership she brings to every aspect of the business.

Prior to Motive, Kristy held senior roles at Corsair Capital, where she was Managing Director of Finance and Operations, and served as CFO and Board Member of Motive Capital Corp (NYSE: MOTV.U), a SPAC sponsored by Motive. She also gained extensive finance and accounting experience at Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and EY. Her career is a testament to resilience, operational excellence, and visionary leadership in finance.

Kristy earned a B.B.A in Accounting and Finance from James Madison University and is a Certified Public Accountant.