About Qnèctra
Building operational excellence for brokers, lenders, and small business operators through systems, strategy, and experience.
Chris Étienne
Founder & Principal
Nearly 20 years of senior leadership in fintech operations, technology, and systems transformation.
Connect with ChrisMeet Chris Étienne
Chris brings nearly 20 years of senior leadership experience in fintech and capital markets, with a proven track record of building scalable, resilient operational systems.
At a previous firm, Chris led global support and technology operations during a period of explosive growth—helping the company scale from approximately $10M to $100M in revenue while transitioning from on-premises infrastructure to a modern SaaS architecture.
His experience spans the full spectrum of fintech operations: Salesforce architecture and CRM orchestration, incident management and business continuity, AI integration and automation, post-merger operational unification, and building high-performing global teams.
Chris's core superpower is his ability to see the entire operational system—people, processes, and technology—and align them into a scalable, efficient, and resilient operating engine. He doesn't just fix problems; he builds systems that prevent them.
From this work, I developed the AI-Powered Operational Excellence Framework™, a strategic model for simplifying complex operations and using AI responsibly. Alongside it, I adopted the Functional Technology Framework®, a practical, implementation-ready method that helps teams derisk, unclog, and scale.
That philosophy is the foundation of Qnèctra and the Functional Technology Framework®.
Our Philosophy & Approach
Operations as a Product
Your operations aren't a cost center—they're the engine of your business. We treat systems design and workflow optimization with the same rigor as product development.
Clarity & Documentation
Tribal knowledge is operational risk. We believe in clear, documented, operator-friendly systems that anyone can understand and execute—not just the "hero" employees.
AI as an Amplifier
AI and automation are powerful—but only when built on solid processes. We use technology to amplify good systems, not to replace strategic thinking.
An Operator's Perspective
Unlike traditional consultants who parachute in with frameworks and decks, Chris has been in your seat. He's carried P&L responsibility, managed global teams across time zones, navigated post-merger integration chaos, and made the tough calls when systems failed at 2 AM.
That operator perspective shapes everything Qnèctra does. We don't just deliver recommendations—we deliver implementable solutions designed by someone who understands the real constraints: budgets, technical debt, team capacity, and the daily firefighting that comes with running fintech operations.
We've been on your side of the table. That's the difference.
What Drives Us
Outcome-Focused, Not Hours-Driven
We're not here to rack up billable hours. Every engagement is designed around specific, measurable outcomes that matter to your business.
Operator-Friendly, Not Developer-Centric
We speak to operators, not engineers. Our solutions are designed for real-world execution by real teams, not just elegant on a whiteboard.
Resilience Over Perfection
Perfect systems don't exist. We build systems that are resilient, adaptable, and designed to handle the chaos of real-world fintech operations.
Join The Systems Brief
Get monthly insights on operational excellence, AI, systems design, and workflow optimization—straight from Chris and the Qnèctra team.
Ready to Transform Your Operations?
Let's discuss how the Functional Technology Framework® can help your organization achieve operational excellence.
Schedule a Strategy Call