Who’s Who Interviews

Being risk-averse could be just as much detrimental as taking excessive risk. For Taj Chopra, BOQ’s operational risk advisory chief and a veteran ‘fire snuffer’ in the world of financial services, the risk function is as much about enabling businesses...

We had about 95 per cent of our people working from home right when level four lockdowns started. New Zealand has been a shining example to the world of successful Covid containment – though, some would argue, at the cost...

We need a government that can imagine, we need a government that can try, and we need government that can scale. For Mitch Weiss, one of the world’s leading luminaries in public sector innovation, governments in the West are stagnating....

“US law is largely incompatible with our GDPR. So, while we’re still working with American companies like Microsoft and others, our data will ultimately need to be hosted in the European Union.” Making the leap from the private sector to...

Cyber actors have proven adept at adapting to amorphous environments, and cyber threats are likely to escalate, morph and mutate as the pandemic continues and the world becomes ever more digitally connected. In the world of cyber, Dr Stephenie Andal cannot...

The debates we’re having in the West around adapting to climate change and tackling different global challenges, we need China as a partner in this… there’s a lot to learn from China that can really benefit our home countries. As...

Changes in the financial services regulatory landscape have provided Symple and other fintechs with a major advantage by enabling competition with large, traditional financial services organisations. Marketplace (or peer-to-peer) lenders have emerged with force over the last decade. While their...

When I think about it, the best service we can give as a government agency is one that is as seamless and invisible as possible, especially at different key moments in citizens’ lives. As one of Asia’s premier innovation hubs,...

“Where the industry has failed is the archaic way we are still dealing with bank switching, which in most cases still requires a signature. The mind boggles.” NZ’s own The Co-operative Bank has carved out a unique niche among the...

Today’s technology is tomorrow’s legacy. There is no silver bullet or a single vendor that can solve all challenges around data and analytics. A hybrid technology environment is therefore a must. Ram Kumar has a sixth sense for data. For...

I am obsessed with rhythm and getting flow and balance across our operations and delivery lifecycle. This requires persistent attention to drive continuous improvement outcomes and address the opportunities and challenges that emerge. Despite its heft as one of Australia’s...

Hatch founders don’t come from the financial industry. Instead, we are start-up specialists that look to solve people’s problems with a digital-first lens. Since launching in 2018, digital investment platform, Hatch, a Kiwi Wealth spinoff, has for many first-time Kiwi...

“People have a willingness to transform, build new systems and simplify the landscape, but often we then just rebuild the same products and process on better kit. The biggest success factor in Tower’s simplification was an unrelenting commitment to product...

“Transformation is a sport to be played by everybody. It’s not a game that one party plays and others watch from behind.”   Joining event MC and moderator, Luke Hannan, at the recent Future of Financial Services Sydney 2020 event, Abdullah...

I take a lot of inspiration from local fintechs that naturally have the advantage of being more nimble than large domestic or global banks. At Citi, we can learn a lot from the way they quickly implement solutions and adapt...