Finance & Banking

Experienced individuals involved in financial services, including banking, investment, insurance, and real estate

Edwige Fiaclou

Edwige Fiaclou

Edwige is an accomplished technologist deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM* (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). She holds a BSc in mathematics and an MSc in Computer Science from the University Lyon 1 (France), with a FinTech oriented educational background. With years of experience in various roles, including mobile development and banking applications, Edwige has navigated through many technologies and business domains. Since joining Swissquote in 2012, she has contributed to technical stacks and software delivery across multiple domains and layers, from Banking operations to Trading Systems Management. Her unwavering dedication to excellence, best practices and innovative perspective earned her a promotion to Vice Director in 2022, where she now oversees Methodologies, Program Management and Tech Talent teams within Software Engineering.
Despite her many accomplishments, Edwige remains eager to learn from others. She actively contributed to many talks, in Switzerland, or at International for Women In Tech or Lead Dev track!

Edwige is an accomplished technologist deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM* (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). She holds a BSc in mathematics and an MSc in Computer Science from the University Lyon 1 (France... Show more

Kosy Ashara

Kosy Ashara

Kosi builds smarter, faster data platforms for the real world. With a background across data science, engineering, and platform management, Kosi now drives data and AI initiatives at a major investment bank. Focused on scaling systems, streamlining workflows, and pushing the boundaries of what data can do, Kosi is passionate about making AI and infrastructure work better, not just bigger.

Kosi builds smarter, faster data platforms for the real world. With a background across data science, engineering, and platform management, Kosi now drives data and AI initiatives at a major investment bank. Focused on scaling systems, streamlining w... Show more

Barry Smart

Barry Smart

Barry has spent over 25 years in the tech industry; from developer to solution architect, business transformation manager to IT Director, and CTO of a £100m FinTech company. In 2020 Barry's passion for data and analytics led him to gain an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Applications.

He is happiest when he's at a whiteboard sketching out a process, architecture, roadmap or solving a problem. He's got a gift for taking complex ideas and presenting them in a way that technical and non-technical audiences can grok. He has a passion for simplifying the complex, and helping organisations use technology to transform and amplify their impact.

Barry has spent over 25 years in the tech industry; from developer to solution architect, business transformation manager to IT Director, and CTO of a £100m FinTech company. In 2020 Barry's passion for data and analytics led him to gain an MSc in Art... Show more

Katrin Rabow

Katrin Rabow

As a freelancer, Katrin prefers to work at the intersection of business and software development, helping teams translate complex requirements into clear, practical solutions.
She works in various roles, ranging from business analysis to quality assurance, and brings practical expertise from the finance and payroll sectors to the table. Katrin enjoys developing applications or automations that support teams and simplify processes in a pragmatic, efficient way that addresses real needs.

As a freelancer, Katrin prefers to work at the intersection of business and software development, helping teams translate complex requirements into clear, practical solutions. She works in various roles, ranging from business analysis to quality as... Show more

Mykola Kolomiiets

Mykola Kolomiiets

I’m a technology leader passionate about building solutions that are not only scalable and efficient but also secure and aligned with business growth. Over the years, I’ve helped organizations transform complex requirements into future-ready systems that deliver measurable results.

Currently serving as CTO in fintech, I focus on shaping technology strategy, leading cross-functional teams, and ensuring that every solution we deliver is resilient, compliant, and aligned with business objectives. My work spans across solution architecture, governance, compliance, and security with a constant drive to balance innovation with stability.

Passionate about strategy, architecture, and security, I bring both a business mindset and a technical edge to every challenge.

I’m a technology leader passionate about building solutions that are not only scalable and efficient but also secure and aligned with business growth. Over the years, I’ve helped organizations transform complex requirements into future-ready systems ... Show more

Thomas Kronawitter

Thomas Kronawitter

Thomas is Head of Data-Driven Applications & Services at GRENKE in Baden-Baden.
GRENKE is a financial solution provider, offering services in more than 30 countries around the world.

His department aims to deliver business value through data and data-related services and applications.
He has spent the last 20 years with data, databases, IT services, and related infrastructure. Before that, he was a paramedic with the German Red Cross.

When he is not pretending to work, you will probably find him on his motorcycle, as far away from paved roads as possible.

Thomas is Head of Data-Driven Applications & Services at GRENKE in Baden-Baden. GRENKE is a financial solution provider, offering services in more than 30 countries around the world. His department aims to deliver business value through data and ... Show more

Robert Clawson

Robert Clawson

Robert is a talented, energetic, and insightful product-focused speaker focused on helping teams and organizations build great products and align on their best ways of working to build trust and accountability. He has spent 15 years in the IT field with a primary focus on product development, agile framework, and software quality within both startups and enterprise organizations spanning diverse industries including Automotive, Insurance, Finance, Healthcare and the Department of Defense. He currently serves as a Sr Principal Product professional at Discover + Capital One helping build and evolve innovative products to ensure a brighter financial future for their customers. He is a relentlessly optimistic, culture-first leader who unlocks elite performance by developing people, fostering trust, and placing success over ego.

Robert is a talented, energetic, and insightful product-focused speaker focused on helping teams and organizations build great products and align on their best ways of working to build trust and accountability. He has spent 15 years in the IT field w... Show more

Ahmad Alsharif

Ahmad Alsharif

Ahmad Alsharif is a Cloud Architect and a Google Cloud Authorized Trainer. He specializes in Application modernization, Kubernetes, and enterprise AI, driving the design and implementation of cloud environments and AI products for complex highly-regulated financial workloads. He also leads the Google Developer Group Amman, actively advocating for Cloud-native technologies.

Ahmad Alsharif is a Cloud Architect and a Google Cloud Authorized Trainer. He specializes in Application modernization, Kubernetes, and enterprise AI, driving the design and implementation of cloud environments and AI products for complex highly-regu... Show more

Nimish Sharma

Nimish Sharma

Results - driven Cybersecurity Engineer with diverse experience across Healthcare, Banking, Public, and Telecom sectors, cross-functional project guidance and stakeholder support, security architecture strategy, application/ agentic AI security, predictive analytics, and enterprise risk management. Adept at designing and implementing scalable solutions, driving automation, and delivering quantifiable value and innovation.

Results - driven Cybersecurity Engineer with diverse experience across Healthcare, Banking, Public, and Telecom sectors, cross-functional project guidance and stakeholder support, security architecture strategy, application/ agentic AI security, pred... Show more

Francis Akol

Francis Akol

Francis Akol is a Software Engineer and Head of Engineering focused on building secure, scalable financial technology products. He leads engineering initiatives in digital payments while contributing to Africa's technology ecosystem as a Google Developer Groups (GDG) Jinja Organizer and community mentor. With experience spanning AI, cloud computing, web technologies, and payment systems, Francis regularly speaks at developer conferences, sharing practical approaches to building modern software that creates meaningful impact.

Francis Akol is a Software Engineer and Head of Engineering focused on building secure, scalable financial technology products. He leads engineering initiatives in digital payments while contributing to Africa's technology ecosystem as a Google Devel... Show more

Samuel Adekunle

Samuel Adekunle

Samuel Adekunle is a passionate software engineer and product builder with a track record of creating practical solutions that solve real, everyday problems. He is the founder of MyVista, a simple and elegant personal finance tracker that helps users automatically understand their earnings, spending, and money management. He also serves as the lead engineer for ChopGrub, a fast-growing food and grocery delivery platform that makes access to meals and essentials easier in Nigerian cities, and has been a key engineer on 1app, a leading fintech platform powering global payments, bill payments, and financial services for Nigerians.

Breaking the typical software engineer stereotype by actively engaging beyond coding, diving into marketing, sales, and business strategy. My goal is to contribute more holistically to any company I'm part of or ventures I'm building, ensuring I understand and impact every aspect of the business, not just the technical side.

Explore my software engineering journey in my portfolio: portfolio.techwithsam.dev.

Samuel Adekunle is a passionate software engineer and product builder with a track record of creating practical solutions that solve real, everyday problems. He is the founder of MyVista, a simple and elegant personal finance tracker that helps users... Show more

Stacie Bacon

Stacie Bacon

Stacie Bacon is a Leader in Technology at Rocket, the nation's largest mortgage lender, which is based in Detroit, Michigan. She spent the first part of her 20+ year career writing software for various industries, including telephony and internet communications. While facilitating courses at a local college, Stacie realized her love for mentoring and educating others outweighed the joy she received resolving git merges or converting legacy systems into microservices as a developer. Thus, she reinvented herself as a technology leader. Today, she speaks around the country sharing her personal journey from programmer to servant leader and inspiring others to reinvent themselves. In a past life, Stacie wrote, directed, and helped produce a TV show pilot and hopes one day to make it to the big screen. You can follow her on Twitter @StacieBacon.

Stacie Bacon is a Leader in Technology at Rocket, the nation's largest mortgage lender, which is based in Detroit, Michigan. She spent the first part of her 20+ year career writing software for various industries, including telephony and internet com... Show more

Arthur Kaza

Arthur Kaza

Senior Data Scientist with over 7 years of experience - Google Developer Expert AI - Founder of YeToo Tech - Over 8 AI Products launch for banks - AI integration FinTechs specialist - Credit scoring loan AI Systems conception experience - Engineering Management - Africa Tech ecosystems experience - Techs African Communities Experience - Over 100 persons mentored in central and east Africa

Senior Data Scientist with over 7 years of experience - Google Developer Expert AI - Founder of YeToo Tech - Over 8 AI Products launch for banks - AI integration FinTechs specialist - Credit scoring loan AI Systems conception experience - Engineering... Show more

Samuel Abada

Samuel Abada

Samuel is a Google Developer Expert for Flutter and Dart, a senior mobile engineer at Busha and a product engineer at Nexlab Studios. Samuel has over 8 years of experience in the software industry having worked in the banking space, crypto space, finance, mobility, to mention a few.

He is a co-organizer of the Flutter Lagos and Flutter Akure communities, as well as the Google Developers Group Akure.

Passionate about open-source technologies and building developer tooling, Samuel enjoys sharing knowledge through technical articles and speaking at events and conferences. Outside of coding, Samuel is an avid gamer, lover of anime.

Samuel is a Google Developer Expert for Flutter and Dart, a senior mobile engineer at Busha and a product engineer at Nexlab Studios. Samuel has over 8 years of experience in the software industry having worked in the banking space, crypto space, fin... Show more

Fowmy Abdulmuttalib

Fowmy Abdulmuttalib

Fowmy Abdulmuttalib is a Microsoft-certified business intelligence professional with extensive experience in finance, accounting and data analytics. Currently, he is employed by McDonald's Saudi Arabia as the Head of ERP and Business Intelligence. Interested in everything data-related, he would like to share his passion and knowledge with the data community.

Fowmy Abdulmuttalib is a Microsoft-certified business intelligence professional with extensive experience in finance, accounting and data analytics. Currently, he is employed by McDonald's Saudi Arabia as the Head of ERP and Business Intelligence. In... Show more

Reid Schmidling

Reid Schmidling

Reid is a seasoned data professional with a wealth of experience in data visualization, Microsoft Power Platform, and artificial intelligence. In his professional capacity, Reid specializes in consulting on IT processes to drive improvement and efficiency. In addition to his role, Reid is deeply involved in developing Power Platform solutions, integrating artificial intelligence, and advocating for enhanced end-user technology experiences.

Before transitioning into tech, Reid built a successful career in the finance industry. From broker and trader to consultant, where he assisted Financial Advisors in scaling and marketing their businesses, while also serving as a trusted expert in investments and strategy.

Reid is a proud graduate of Kansas State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specializing in Finance with a minor in Leadership Studies.

Outside of work, Reid enjoys spending quality time with his wife and son. He also enjoys the company of his dogs, Finley and Bentley, and enjoys the occasional lake trip, serving on nonprofit boards, reading, continuous learning, sharing knowledge, and working on side projects.

Four Colors: Green | Gold | Orange | Blue
Myers-Briggs: ISTP

Reid is a seasoned data professional with a wealth of experience in data visualization, Microsoft Power Platform, and artificial intelligence. In his professional capacity, Reid specializes in consulting on IT processes to drive improvement and effic... Show more

David Taiwo Balogun

David Taiwo Balogun

Balogun David Taiwo is a Data Scientist, AI Expert, AI Researcher, and Lead Analyst with over six years of experience building machine learning solutions, credit risk models, and real-time analytics platforms across venture-backed fintechs, financial institutions, edtech, and technology-focused NGOs. He specializes in the intersection of artificial intelligence, financial risk, business intelligence, and data engineering, transforming complex datasets into actionable insights that drive strategic business decisions.

Throughout his career, David has designed and deployed predictive models, automated analytics workflows, and business intelligence solutions that have enhanced operational efficiency, strengthened risk management, and empowered executives to make data-driven decisions. He is experienced in leading end-to-end data projects—from data engineering and model development to dashboard design and stakeholder engagement—bridging the gap between technical implementation and business strategy.

Beyond industry, David is an active AI researcher whose work focuses on practical machine learning systems, edge AI, and scalable data infrastructures for resource-constrained environments. Currently, his research has been accepted for presentation at the 10th International Conference on Cloud and Big Data Computing (ICCBDC 2026) at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, where he will be presenting his paper, "Designing a Full-Stack Pipeline: From Data Collection to Edge Deployment in Low-Bandwidth Environment." Also presenting, "Crop Disease Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks in Low-Resource Agricultural Settings," at the Faculty of Computing, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

David is equally passionate about developing the next generation of data professionals. He has mentored and trained nearly 3,000 aspiring data scientists and analysts across Europe, Africa, and the United States through technical training, coaching, and community initiatives.

By combining technical excellence, research, and business acumen, David leverages data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to solve complex business challenges, advance AI research, and deliver measurable impact for forward-thinking organizations.

Balogun David Taiwo is a Data Scientist, AI Expert, AI Researcher, and Lead Analyst with over six years of experience building machine learning solutions, credit risk models, and real-time analytics platforms across venture-backed fintechs, financial... Show more

David Handlos

David Handlos

David Handlos is a software engineer, technologist, educator, and conference speaker with over two decades of experience building enterprise software, automation frameworks, and integration solutions within the financial services industry. He specializes in applying AI, software engineering, and automation to solve complex business and technical challenges.

In addition to his industry work, David serves as an adjunct instructor at Southern New Hampshire University, where he teaches software engineering, software testing, and automation. He also works as an independent genealogist, using technology, historical records, and AI-assisted research to solve complex family history problems, locate ancestral records, and document lineage for citizenship-by-descent and other genealogy projects.

David enjoys speaking about AI, automation, software engineering, and the creative ways technology can be applied to solve problems beyond traditional software development.

David Handlos is a software engineer, technologist, educator, and conference speaker with over two decades of experience building enterprise software, automation frameworks, and integration solutions within the financial services industry. He special... Show more

Aivars Kalvāns

Aivars Kalvāns

Aivars Kalvāns is a FinTech developer and spent more than 18 years developing and architecting payment card software for acquiring and issuing, as well as for accounting and utility payments, through mobile phones, ATMs, and POS terminals. At the moment, he is a contractor exploring Foreign Exchange, SWIFT, SEPA, ledgers, and other areas of the FinTech landscape.
The rest of the time is spent smashing with BJJ team Jelgava and participating as a Linux team member for Latvia in Locked Shields.

Aivars Kalvāns is a FinTech developer and spent more than 18 years developing and architecting payment card software for acquiring and issuing, as well as for accounting and utility payments, through mobile phones, ATMs, and POS terminals. At the mom... Show more

Milan Cheeks

Milan Cheeks

Milan Cheeks is the founder and CEO of SELF Labs Inc., a technology company developing AI-powered products and infrastructure designed to improve how people live, work, create, and interact with technology.

He is leading the development of SELF OS, an AI-native operating environment designed to bring intelligent agents, decentralized applications, digital identity, and user-controlled computing into a unified ecosystem. He is also developing ESSENCE, a blockchain-based utility and economic layer intended to reward verified participation and contributions within the SELF network.

Through SELF Labs, Milan works across artificial intelligence, decentralized infrastructure, robotics, real estate technology, digital economies, and next-generation human-computer interaction.

His broader mission is to build technology that gives individuals greater ownership of their data, intelligence, devices, and economic value—helping move society from centralized digital platforms toward more personalized and user-owned technological systems.

Milan Cheeks is the founder and CEO of SELF Labs Inc., a technology company developing AI-powered products and infrastructure designed to improve how people live, work, create, and interact with technology. He is leading the development of SELF OS... Show more

Sydnie Beckman

Sydnie Beckman

– Over 20 years’ experience with global investment banks, private banks, hedge funds and consulting covering governance, enterprise risk, information security, and project management.
– Strong experience in information security and enterprise risk from a management and leadership perspective as well as an appointed board member.
– Successful track record of delivering complex, high quality, robust and reliable solutions on time and on budget.
– Strong track record of review financial statements and valuing public companies.

CERTIFICATIONS: CISSP, CCSP, SSCP, CISM, CCSK, and PMP

– Over 20 years’ experience with global investment banks, private banks, hedge funds and consulting covering governance, enterprise risk, information security, and project management. – Strong experience in information security and enterprise risk ... Show more

Birjan Crispin

Birjan Crispin

Birjan D. Crispin is a bold, compelling and convciting speaker who looks forward to serving your audience. He currently serves as an econominc development consultant in Indianapolis, IN. From 2023 to 2025, Birjan served in the Indiana House of Representatives as a legislative aide for the House Republican Caucus. In this role, he staffed the Indiana C.H.O.I.C.E. Board and the Commerce, Small Business & Economic Development Committee, contributing to policy development in economic and community-focused areas.

Birjan holds a B.A. in Finance and Political Science from Hope College. He is a graduate of The Heritage Foundation's Leadership Fellowship (as a fiscal and monetary policy fellow), The Leadership Institute's Young Leaders Program, and Indiana Family Institute's Hoosier Leadership Series Class of 2024.

A sought-after voice in public discourse, Birjan is a regular guest on podcasts nationwide and has spoken at conferences across the country. He shares his compelling personal journey—from Orphan to Advocate—while addressing faith-centered formation, legislative initiatives for child and family protection, parental righs, economic & fiscal policy.

Before entering public service, Birjan worked in corporate finance in Chicago, specializing in portfolio risk analysis and business management.
Birjan resides in Anderson, Indiana, with his wife Brooke and their daughter Abigail. The family is deeply engaged in their local community and are active members of Grace Baptist Church in Anderson.

In his personal time, Birjan is a classical violinist and an avid golfer.

Birjan D. Crispin is a bold, compelling and convciting speaker who looks forward to serving your audience. He currently serves as an econominc development consultant in Indianapolis, IN. From 2023 to 2025, Birjan served in the Indiana House of Repres... Show more

Ing. Alvaro Ricardo Valdez

Ing. Alvaro Ricardo Valdez

Alvaro Ricardo Valdez es Founder & CEO de AV Finance, holding que construye la infraestructura financiera digital para Bolivia y LatAm. Opera tres entidades cross-border (Delaware, Chile, Bolivia) con plataforma sobre Stellar mainnet y arquitectura AWS activa en producción.

AV Finance está en proceso de adecuación bajo el Decreto Supremo 5384 como Empresa de Tecnología Financiera ante ASFI, primera empresa boliviana bajo el nuevo marco regulatorio de activos virtuales.

Combina su rol de founder con el de ingeniero principal del stack — construye y mantiene ~34,000 líneas de código con Claude Code como copiloto de ingeniería. Apasionado por construir infraestructura financiera seria desde Bolivia con criterio técnico de nivel internacional y compartir el cómo con la comunidad regional.
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Alvaro Ricardo Valdez is Founder & CEO of AV Finance, the holding building digital financial infrastructure for Bolivia and LatAm. Operates three cross-border entities (Delaware, Chile, Bolivia) with platform on Stellar mainnet and AWS architecture active in production.

AV Finance is in compliance process under Supreme Decree 5384 as a Financial Technology Company before ASFI, one of the first Bolivian companies under the new virtual asset regulatory framework.

Combines his founder role with that of principal engineer of the stack — builds and maintains ~34,000 lines of code with Claude Code as engineering copilot. Passionate about building serious financial infrastructure from Bolivia with international-grade technical criteria.

Alvaro Ricardo Valdez es Founder & CEO de AV Finance, holding que construye la infraestructura financiera digital para Bolivia y LatAm. Opera tres entidades cross-border (Delaware, Chile, Bolivia) con plataforma sobre Stellar mainnet y arquitectura A... Show more

George Proorocu

George Proorocu

George is a seasoned IT professional with 15+ years of experience, evolving from technical roles to leading engineering teams in security-critical sectors. Passionate about coaching and empowering others, he combines hands-on expertise with strategic leadership.

A former professional chess player, George won the "Romanian Chess Champion" title with his club team in 2004. At 16, he founded and grew an ISP company in Bucharest to 600 clients before selling it at 18. He later pursued an Executive MBA at IMT Paris to strengthen his leadership skills.

Recognized in the Financial Times' "100 Faces of Innovation" in 2016, George is a sought-after Cybersecurity expert specializing in Fraud and Deepfakes. He has spoken at over 20 conferences all around the world, and his beginner’s Cybersecurity course has helped 150,000+ students start their careers in the field.

George is a seasoned IT professional with 15+ years of experience, evolving from technical roles to leading engineering teams in security-critical sectors. Passionate about coaching and empowering others, he combines hands-on expertise with strategic... Show more

Vishwak Thatikonda

Vishwak Thatikonda

Vishwak Thatikonda is a Lead Full-Stack Developer at SDH Systems specializing in high-resilience, mission-critical systems. Known for building complex platforms from the ground up, his work ranges from contributing to ground-segment software for the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to architecting the master data platform for a Fortune 500 global retail enterprise with tens of thousands of locations, a foundational layer for its next-generation point-of-sale system.

A technical pioneer in both the startup and enterprise worlds, Vishwak was the founding full-stack engineer at AirWorks, an MIT-born GeoAI company, where he built the platform from zero through its $7.9M Series A. He has led industry-first credit and banking initiatives serving 18 million users and directed blockchain-logistics pilots for UPS. Vishwak bridges the gap between deep-tech research and large-scale production reality. His latest open-source project, LambdaForge, is a serverless algorithmic trading engine built on AWS Lambda and EventBridge that empowers engineers to run professional-grade financial automation with near-zero operational overhead.

Vishwak Thatikonda is a Lead Full-Stack Developer at SDH Systems specializing in high-resilience, mission-critical systems. Known for building complex platforms from the ground up, his work ranges from contributing to ground-segment software for the ... Show more

Andrea Elliott

Andrea Elliott

Andrea Elliott is the CEO, Founder, and Managing Partner of EMG Advisory, the AI-native governance, risk and strategy practice serving regulated, high-stakes industries including Quantum Computing and Financial Services. She most recently served as Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer at a publicly traded global payments technology company, where she led a global risk and compliance transformation, built the company's AI governance framework, and led the outstanding CFPB & State AG Consent Orders to full regulatory compliance, with zero reportable incidents during her tenure. She also designed and led the GRC technology transformation to drive internal risk intelligence, transparency, and enterprise accountability, providing an end-to-end, 360 perspective on risk throughout the enterprise. With 15-plus years across risk, compliance, governance, ethics, and legal, Andrea brings a foresight practitioner's perspective to AI governance failures and mitigation. She is the author of (1) The Deadline on Implicit Governance, (2) The Proportionality Problem, (3) The Architecture of Intuition, (4) The Quiet Rewiring, (5) Bounded Autonomy, (6) The Compounding Bet, and (7) The Missing Middle. She holds a JD from Emory Law [Bankruptcy Journal & Transactional Certificate], an MBA from UGA [Finance focus with an emphasis in Consulting], and the AIGP credential from IAPP. Her undergraduate studies at Auburn University included Architecture, Industrial Design, and Business Administration.

From Andrea: "AI is rewriting what industries can do, and the leaders who govern it with seriousness and imagination will reshape theirs rather than scramble to catch up. I help those leaders imagine beyond what AI makes possible today, then usher them through the transformation for the betterment of the people their industries serve.

It starts with something deceptively simple: helping organizations make sound AI decisions they can stand behind, quickly and confidently. Done right, that discipline is not a brake on ambition. It is what lets a company reimagine what is possible with AI.

My work sits at the intersection of law, risk, ethics, strategy, and systems design. After 15+ years in risk and compliance roles, most recently as Chief Compliance Officer where I built the company's AI governance framework from the ground up, I founded EMG Advisory on a conviction: AI does not need more hype. It needs structure, accountability, and leaders who treat risk as a strategic discipline.

That is the part most people miss. Governance, Risk, and Compliance, done well, is not what slows AI down. It decides where you can afford to move fast and where you cannot, and it is inseparable from strategy; your AI strategy does not survive without it.

The other half of how I work is AI-native wiring. I think in systems, synthesize fast, and collaborate with AI at the conceptual layer as a cognitive partner, translating complexity into strategic clarity. It is also how EMG itself is built: I practice the responsible, operationalized AI I help my clients deploy.

I work with organizations that want to use AI strategically, responsibly, and with foresight. I help leaders:

Turn AI risk and compliance into strategic advantage
Make defensible AI decisions at the speed of business
Translate regulatory ambiguity into operational clarity
Anticipate second- and third-order effects before they surface
Design governance that works in practice, not just on paper

The regulatory landscape shifts faster than most AI roadmaps, and the patchwork of overlapping laws and standards leaves even willing organizations unsure what they must comply with. Pair that with AI that stalls in committee and governance impeccable on paper that no one operates by, and the gap becomes clear. Closing it is where I do my best work.

But closing the gap is the floor, not the ceiling. The organizations that govern AI with seriousness and imagination will not just keep up; they will transform what their industries can do for the people who depend on them. That is the future I am building toward."

Andrea Elliott is the CEO, Founder, and Managing Partner of EMG Advisory, the AI-native governance, risk and strategy practice serving regulated, high-stakes industries including Quantum Computing and Financial Services. She most recently served as C... Show more

Antonio Lopez

Antonio Lopez

Antonio has +20 years experience developing software solutions across 3 different continents. He has worked for organizations like Wise or the European Commission.
He started his career as a software engineer and held IC positions for almost 10 years before jumping into the leadership path.
For the last 10 years he has had multiple positions (from engineering manager to VP of Engineering or currently CPTO) in different companies and industries but the last 7 years he has focused on the fintech industry leading teams and solving problems in domains like cross currency transfers, trade financing or open banking.

Antonio has +20 years experience developing software solutions across 3 different continents. He has worked for organizations like Wise or the European Commission. He started his career as a software engineer and held IC positions for almost 10 year... Show more

Wade Tetsuka

Wade Tetsuka

Wade is a CPA who brings 20 years of financial expertise and business management experience to U.S. Transactions Corp.
He was previously with Ernst & Young in San Francisco and later PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Stuttgart, Germany where he was senior engagement manger responsible for the assurance work for IBM, Sony, and several other multinational companies.
He also served as President/General Manager to three early-stage fast growth companies in the life sciences industry. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business with a B.S. in Economics.
U.S. Transactions Corp. was founded in 2009.
We focus on the Microsoft Dynamics space as the only integrated credit card processing solution with built-in connections to 120+ gateways and processors with access to every international currency. See USTPay on Appsource
www.ustranscorp.com/ustpay

Wade is a CPA who brings 20 years of financial expertise and business management experience to U.S. Transactions Corp. He was previously with Ernst & Young in San Francisco and later PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Stuttgart, Germany where he was senior ... Show more

Federico Fregosi

Federico Fregosi

Experienced engineering leader with a strong interest in distributed, highly-scalable and cloud-based systems.

Worked for years in Technical Leadership roles, focused on infrastructure management and Cloud on the 3 major public cloud providers. Experienced in the finance sector, specifically on high-performance payment platforms and systems compliance.
Regular speaker at conferences and meetups.
Federico holds an MSc in Software Engineering from City University London

Experienced engineering leader with a strong interest in distributed, highly-scalable and cloud-based systems. Worked for years in Technical Leadership roles, focused on infrastructure management and Cloud on the 3 major public cloud providers. Ex... Show more

Francesco Cipollone

Francesco Cipollone

Francesco is a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO of the Contextual-based vulnerability management platform from code to cloud Phoenix Security, author of several books, host of multi-award Cyber Security & Cloud Podcast, speaker known in the cybersecurity industry and recognized for his visionary views. He is on the UK&I Cloud Security Alliance Chapter board and is a professor at IANS on application security and cloud security. Previously, Francesco headed HSBC's application and cloud security and was a Senior Security Consultant at AWS. Francesco has been keynoting at global conferences and has authored and co-authored several books and whitepapers; outside of work, you can find me running marathons, snowboarding on the Italian slopes, and enjoying single malt whiskeys in one of my favourite London clubs.

Francesco is a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO of the Contextual-based vulnerability management platform from code to cloud Phoenix Security, author of several books, host of multi-award Cyber Security & Cloud Podcast, speaker known in the cybersecurity i... Show more

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