Brandon Milhorn - Conference of State Bank Supervisors

The CSBS Board of Directors appointed Brandon Milhorn President & CEO in December 2023. Milhorn has nearly three decades of advocacy, policy, legal, and regulatory experience, primarily in and around Washington, D.C., including five years in critical senior leadership roles with the FDIC, seven years in the private sector with Raytheon and over a decade of public service as staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as an attorney at the CIA and in two prominent U.S. Court clerkships.

 

Brendan Mulvey - Treliant

Brendan Mulvey serves as Senior Managing Director with Treliant, where he leads its Regulatory Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management Solutions. Brendan advises clients globally in establishing and sustaining risk management capabilities and business operations that demonstrate compliance while achieving desired business, operational, and customer outcomes. His experience in financial services spans over 20 years, which has included front-line, operations, and second-line roles, as well as over a decade as a trusted advisor of leading financial services companies with their most critical regulatory compliance, risk management, and operational imperatives. This included nearly 7 years with Promontory, where Brendan most recently was a Partner and lead of its Risk and Compliance practice.

 

Brent Alvord - JPMorganChase

Brent Alvord is an Executive Director at JPMorganChase, where he specializes in Financial Technology strategy and industry engagement. He plays a leading role in shaping the bank’s fintech initiatives and regularly represents JPMorganChase at key conferences and events. In this capacity, he works closely with government, academic, and technology stakeholders to drive innovation and collaboration across the fintech ecosystem.

 

 

Brody Mulderig - JPMorganChase

Brody Mulderig is an Executive Director at JPMorganChase, where he leads the Financial Technology Coverage team. In this role, he develops strategic fintech, embedded finance, and API-driven solutions tailored for software developers and digital-first companies. He’s a recognized voice in the industry—presenting at events like the Fintech Meetup (e.g., “From Wall Street to Code: How Payments is Betting Big on Developers and APIs”). Prior to joining JPMorganChase in 2019, where he also served as Vice President with JPMorganChase Securities LLC in San Francisco, he was a pioneer in fintech coverage at Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Banking division. Brody holds a B.A. from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Between 2022 and 2024, he led JPMorganChase’s Web3 coverage in the Payments business before refocusing on broader fintech strategies, blending deep experience in valuation, financial modeling, and emerging technologies like blockchain and embedded finance.

 

Carl Pascarella - TPG Capital / Visa

Carl Pascarella is currently affiliated with TPG Capital as a Senior Advisor. He retired as President & Chief Executive Officer of Visa U.S.A. Inc., after twelve years of service. Before assuming that position, he was President & CEO of Visa Asia Pacific Limited Region and Director of the Asia Pacific Regional Board. Before joining Visa, Mr. Pascarella was Vice President, International Division at Crocker National Bank and Vice President, Metropolitan Banking at Bankers Trust Company. His experience also included commercial banking, corporate banking, credit review and policy, and De Novo banking. Mr. Pascarella was also head of the California International Banking and Trade Finance organization for Crocker National Bank. Carl Pascarella received a Master of Science in Management from Stanford Sloan Program at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Buffalo.

 

Chris Black - Thread Bank

Chris serves as CEO, President and Director at Thread Bancorp, Inc. and Thread Bank. Previously, he was EVP/CFO of Franklin Financial Network and Franklin Synergy Bank, located in Franklin, TN. Before joining Franklin Financial Network and Franklin Synergy Bank, Chris served as SVP/CFO, Banking at FirstBank in Nashville, TN. Previously, he worked in the investment management and investment research industries, specializing in the banking sector while at Merrill Lynch & Co. and ISI Group, both based in New York City. Prior to working in the private sector, he served for over nine years as an Officer and pilot in the United States Air Force. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University with a major in Engineering and his Master of Business Administration from Auburn University, with a concentration in Finance.

 

Chris Peterson - University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law

Christopher L. Peterson is the John J. Flynn Endowed Professor of Law at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he specializes in consumer protection, banking and finance, commercial law, constitutional law, contracts, and government/public policy. A graduate of the University of Utah (BA, BS, JD), he has served in several federal roles—most notably as Special Advisor in both the Office of the Director and the Office of Enforcement Policy & Strategy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and in legal policy for the Department of Defense. An award-winning scholar, he is widely published with dozens of articles and several books on consumer finance, and frequently testifies before Congress and advises regulators like the FDIC, Federal Reserve, and the White House. Peterson is a fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute, and recipient of honors including the Department of Defense's Award for Excellence.

 

Derek White - Galileo

Derek White is the Chief Executive Officer of Galileo Financial Technologies, leading the company since June 2021. He is an international fintech pioneer with over two decades of experience, having previously served as Vice President of Global Financial Services at Google Cloud. There, he partnered with banks, insurers, and fintechs to modernize core operations and adopt digital‑first strategies. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles across major financial institutions including Vice Chair & Chief Digital Officer at U.S. Bank, Global Head of Client Solutions at BBVA, and Chief Design & Digital Officer at Barclays; he also served as a technology ambassador for London’s fintech sector. As CEO of Galileo, he’s overseen expansion into 15 new markets, guided major M&A — including the $1 billion acquisition of Technisys — and driven platform innovation, earning a reputation as a serial fintech innovator. He holds an MBA from Wharton and a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, and is based in Utah with his wife and four children.

 

Mayor Erin Mendenhall - Salt Lake City Corp

Erin Mendenhall was sworn in as the 36th Mayor of Salt Lake City on January 6, 2020. Prior to being elected Mayor, Erin represented District 5 on the City Council for six years, including one year as its chair. She is the first mayor in Salt Lake City history to have been publicly electedfrom the City Council.
As Mayor, Erin is working hard to make Salt Lake City more environmentally and economically resilient, and to take advantage of the region’s historic period of economic opportunity. She is determined to ensure every Salt Laker — no matter their neighborhood, economic or housing status, faith, race, or sexual or gender identity — can access all the city has to offer. Erin’s love for the extraordinary people of Salt Lake City drives an unrelenting commitment to bringing people from different walks of life together in pursuit of results for the entire city.

 

Eugene Shvartsman - Vert Fintech

Eugene Shvartsman is a Public Affairs and Strategy consultant specializing in the Financial Technology sector, serving a number of fintech companies and banks. He previously worked as the Head of Government Affairs at Cross River, representing the bank to external stakeholders and all levels of government. Eugene joined Cross River as Chief of Staff to the CEO before establishing the bank’s rapidly growing government affairs office. As an early employee, Eugene contributed to the bank's initial foray into the fintech space and ultimately helped grow and manage Cross River’s public affairs, public policy, government advocacy, and corporate social responsibility functions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from SUNY, with a minor in legal studies. Additionally, Eugene serves as a board director of Brooklyn Alliance Capital, the Brooklyn Chamber’s community development financial institution (CDFI), and as Chair of the Public Affairs Committee on Community Board 6 in Queens, New York.

 

Gene Levinzon - University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business

Gene Levinzon is the Director of the David Eccles School of Business undergraduate Fintech program where he develops and teaches Fintech courses. His areas of interests are tokenized economy and digital assets. Gene is also a faculty advisor for the Blockchain Club at the University of Utah.

Gene spent over 25 years working at Goldman Sachs in various roles. His recent roles at GS included Deputy Director General overseeing the firm’s operations in Moscow (2006 – 2009) and Managing Director overseeing technology teams in Sao Paulo and Salt Lake City (2009 – 2016).

Gene holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California, a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University. He also holds a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

 

Greg McKewon

Greg McKeown is a London-born, Southern California–based author, consultant, and keynote speaker renowned for pioneering the philosophy of Essentialism—“the disciplined pursuit of less”. He holds a B.A. in Communications from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Stanford GSB . As the founder and CEO of McKeown, Inc., he collaborates with clients such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Nike, and the U.S. Navy Seals. McKeown has authored two New York Times bestsellers—Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most—together selling over three million copies and translated into dozens of languages. A sought-after speaker, he has addressed global audiences at venues including Davos (interviewing Al Gore), SXSW, Stanford, and the World Economic Forum, and has been featured in major media outlets such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, NPR, and Harvard Business Review. A Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, McKeown also hosts a top-ranked podcast and newsletter, and serves on boards such as Resolve and mentors with international non-profits.

 

Jane Barratt - MX

Jane Barratt is Chief Advocacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at MX. Jane is a personal finance expert and champion of financial strength. In her role, Jane collaborates with financial institutions, regulatory bodies, policymakers and the financial ecosystem to ensure people have better financial outcomes through permissioned and secure data-driven innovation. She is also the Co-Chair of the Financial Data Exchange (FDX), and is a financial educator through LinkedIn Learning. Prior to MX, Jane was CEO of GoldBean, an education first investment advisory platform; and spent two decades driving growth for Fortune 500 companies.

 

 

Jason Mikula - Taktile

Jason Mikula is the Head of Industry Strategy, Banking & Fintech, at next-gen decision platform Taktile and the publisher of Fintech Business Weekly, a newsletter going beyond the headlines to analyze the technology, regulatory, and business model trends driving the rapidly evolving financial services ecosystem. He also advises and consults for and invests in early stage startups. Previously, he spent over a decade building and scaling consumer finance businesses, including at Enova, LendUp, and Goldman Sachs.

 

John Sun - Spring Labs

John Sun is a fintech entrepreneur and founder of Avant and Spring Labs. He co-founded Avant in 2012, which has issued over $5 billion in loans to date. In 2018, he co-founded Spring Labs, a data security company with patented technology trusted by major financial institutions. John has been recognized for his contributions to the technology and finance industries, including being named to Inc's 30 Under 30 list and Crain's Chicago Business' 40 Under 40 list.

 

 

Laura Gibson-Lamothe - Georgia Fintech Academy

Laura Gibson-Lamothe is the Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy, a talent development initiative within the University System of Georgia. With two decades of leadership experience in banking, finance, and financial technology, Laura has held pivotal roles at organizations including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Ally Bank, Featurespace, and Protiviti. She has a proven track record of delivering transformative projects, such as co-branded credit card implementations, PCI compliance initiatives, and fintech risk management solutions.

As Executive Director, Laura leads the Georgia Fintech Academy, which offers a robust curriculum designed to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving fintech industry. The Academy equips students with essential skills and connects them with career opportunities through initiatives such as career fairs, mentorship programs, and weekly speaker series featuring industry leaders. Under Laura’s leadership, the Academy has become a leading force in fintech education, bridging academia and industry while extending its impact to all 26 public universities in Georgia.

Laura is deeply committed to cultivating the next generation of fintech talent by fostering innovation, mentorship, and diverse pathways to success. Through her vision, the Academy continues to provide students with cutting-edge learning experiences and invaluable industry engagement.

Beyond her work with the Academy, Laura serves on the boards of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Fintech Society, PayTech Women, and LaAmistad. In these roles, she advocates for industry diversity, supports women in fintech and payments, and champions academic and life-enrichment opportunities for Latino students and families. A sought-after thought leader, Laura frequently speaks at conferences on topics such as talent development, workforce innovation, mentorship, and leadership opportunities for women in STEAM fields.

In recognition of her contributions, Laura was recently named one of Georgia Trend’s 2024-2025 Most Influential Leaders and was a finalist for the 2024 Women in Technology (WIT) Women of the Year award. Her work continues to shape the future of fintech education and workforce development, establishing her as a trusted voice in the industry.

 

Nigel Morris - QED Investors

Nigel Morris is the co-founder and managing partner of QED Investors, a fintech venture capital platform focused on disruptive, high-growth financial services companies. QED has made numerous unicorn investments, including Credit Karma, NuBank, Avant, SoFi, Klarna, GreenSky, and AvidXchange. Nigel is the Chairman of ClearScore and Mission Lane and serves on the boards of Remitly, Bitso, Current, Amount, and is a board observer for QuintoAndar. Additionally, he works in an advisory capacity with Oliver Wyman. Nigel previously worked on the boards of Capital One, The Economist, Brookings, National Geographic, Klarna, Braintree, TransUnion, London Business School, AvidXchange and Scotia’s Digital Advisory Council. He frequently keynotes at industry-leading conferences, including Collision, Fintech Nexus, Finance Disrupted, and the Bernstein Annual Financials Summit. Prior to QED, Nigel co-founded Capital One Financial Services in 1994. Under Nigel’s leadership as President and Chief Operating Officer, Capital One pioneered an information-based strategy that transformed the consumer lending industry. Combining advanced statistical marketing techniques with nascent information technologies, the company reduced costs to conventional borrowers, extended capital to overlooked consumers, expanded internationally, and produced extraordinary returns for investors. During Nigel’s ten-year tenure, Capital One’s net income after taxes (NIAT) grew at a compound annual rate of more than 32%. Over this same decade, earnings per share growth and return on equity both exceeded 20% per year, financial performance achieved by only a handful of American companies. Upon leaving Capital One in 2004, the company’s 15,000 employees across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom managed over $80 billion of loans for 50 million customers. Generating over $1.5 billion in earnings, Capital One had successfully transitioned from an emerging start-up to an established public company valued at over $20 billion.

Although Nigel grew up mostly in England, he takes immense pride in the fact that he is at least half Welsh. He has an MBA with distinction from London Business School, where he is also a Fellow. Nigel has been recognized as a Top 1oo Venture Capitalist by CB Insights and a Washingtonian Tech Titan. He is an avid cyclist, but he is happiest when he is at home in Virginia with his wife, four children and five grandchildren.

 

Paul Purcell - Jupiter Management LLC

Paul M. Purcell is the Chief Investment Officer at Jupiter Management LLC, a role he has held since January 2019, where he oversees sourcing and structuring investments. Prior to that, he was a partner at Continental Advisors and Continental Investors since 1999, focusing on private equity and hedge funds within the financial services and fintech sectors. With more than two decades of experience in emerging finance innovation, Purcell also serves on the boards of companies such as AeroPay, GigWage, Prizeout, Winstyr, CarHop, LayUp, What’s Next Media, and formerly Sezzle Inc. (board member from 2019 to mid‑2024). Earlier in his career, he co‑founded Continental Advisors, managed internet marketing at the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and served as a hedge fund manager. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego, where he also sits on the Board of Trustees.

 

Peter Renton - Renton & Co LLC

Peter Renton is the CEO of Renton & Co, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in fintech media, events and thought leadership. He was formerly the co-founder and chairman of Fintech Nexus, a fintech media and events company that produced 31 large-scale events worldwide. The events business was sold to Fintech Meetup in 2023 and the media business was shut down in June 2024.Peter has been writing about fintech since 2010, with over 2,500 articles published. He is the author and creator of the Fintech One-on-One Podcast, the first and longest-running fintech interview series, recently crossing 500 episodes. Over the last decade, Peter has conducted over 750 interviews and panel discussions and produced over 1,800 fintech newsletters.

 

Phil Goldfeder - American Fintech Council

With nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of the public and private sectors, Phil Goldfeder currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the American Fintech Council (AFC), a leading industry association representing responsible financial technology (fintech) companies creating critical access to safe and affordable financial services. AFC, comprised of the nation’s largest fintech companies, fosters innovative, transparent, and responsible products that promote competition, consumer protection, and financial health, inclusion, and equity. AFC is committed to robust industry standards, with a focus on consumer protection and regulatory compliance, in addition to advocating for and embracing appropriate government regulation.

Before joining AFC, Goldfeder served as Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Cross River, a financial institution and technology infrastructure provider that offers embedded financial solutions. In this role, Goldfeder founded the Online Lending Policy Institute (OLPI) and has been a leader in shaping the new financial services landscape since early 2015. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020, Goldfeder helped lead the Cross River team to mobilize internally and offer a streamlined and automated system to provide more than $12 billion in PPP funding to the most vulnerable small businesses in every state, as well as additional short-term relief efforts to communities in the company’s footprint and beyond.

He previously served as an elected member of the New York State Assembly representing diverse neighborhoods of Queens, N.Y. After most of his district was devastated during Superstorm Sandy, Goldfeder lead recovery efforts with a specific focus on partnering with the banking and insurance industry to help rebuild his community and reform outdated policies. He was the author of transformative banking and insurance modernization legislation and was also a key legislative leader on a diverse array of issues. Prior to his election, he served as a senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Phil’s career in public service and expertise in leadership, crisis management, as well as his ability to enact positive change and develop deep relationships with diverse leaders on both the local and national levels, has put him at the forefront of innovation across banking and technology industries. He is an active industry leader as he engages policy makers and regulators, provides thought-leadership, and is frequently invited to speak on panels, roundtables, and conferences globally on banking, technology, financial literacy, and the new financial services landscape.

 

Philip Purcell - Discover Card/Morgan Stanley

Philip J. Purcell is a prominent American business executive best known for his leadership roles at Discover Financial Services and Morgan Stanley. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he became managing director of the Chicago office. In 1978, he joined Sears, Roebuck & Co. as Senior Vice President of Corporate Administration and played a key role in the company’s acquisition of Dean Witter Reynolds. As President and later Chairman and CEO of Dean Witter, he led the 1993 IPO of the firm and was instrumental in launching the Discover Card in 1986, helping grow it into one of the largest credit card brands in the United States. In 1997, Purcell orchestrated the landmark merger of Dean Witter Discover & Co. with Morgan Stanley, becoming Chairman and CEO of the combined firm, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Discover. Under his leadership, Morgan Stanley’s market capitalization nearly tripled, and the firm rose to a leading position in global investment banking and capital markets. He stepped down in 2005 and later founded Continental Investors LLC, a private equity firm focused on financial technology and internet-enabled financial services. Purcell holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the London School of Economics.

 

Rhett Roberts - LoanPro

Rhett Roberts is the Co-Founder and CEO of LoanPro. As a serial entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Science in Investment Finance, he has a deep understanding of needs for fintechs, banks, credit unions, and any lender or credit provider. With over 20 years of experience in financial services, building LoanPro has been the primary professional passion of his life. Since founding the company with his brothers, the platform is trusted by over 600 customers including Best, Egg, SoFi, Intuit, and others. Today, LoanPro manages more than $58B in loans, processing $2B+ in payments monthly. Rhett also serves as a board member of the Fintech Committee at the University of Utah.

 

Richard Cordray - U.S. Department of Education/Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Richard Cordray served for six years as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by a bipartisan vote of the Senate. During his tenure, the Bureau returned over $12 billion to 30 million Americans, handled 1.3 million consumer complaints that resolved many individual problems, and adopted new rules to safeguard the mortgage market that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the deep recession that followed. He is the author of Watchdog, released in March 2020, about consumer protection and the role and importance of the CFPB.

In the Biden administration, Rich served for three years as the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid in the U.S. Department of Education. Under his leadership, FSA delivered over $160 billion in student loan forgiveness to 5 million families and took enforcement actions imposing the largest penalties ever on schools for Title IV violations. Earlier in his career, Rich served as Ohio’s Attorney General, where he and his team recovered over $2 billion for Ohio retirees and investors and took major steps to protect consumers from fraudulent foreclosures and financial predators. He also served as Ohio Treasurer, as a state legislator, and as Ohio’s first Solicitor General. Rich has argued seven cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including by special appointment of both the Clinton and Bush Justice Departments.

Rich graduated from Michigan State University’s James Madison College, Oxford University in England, and the University of Chicago Law School. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy. He lives in Grove City, Ohio with his wife Peggy, a law professor at Capital University Law School, and twin children Danny and Holly.

 

Ryan Christiansen - Stena Center for Financial Technology

Ryan is the Executive Director of the Stena Center for Financial Technology at the University of Utah. In this role Ryan directs and coordinates the labs and student programs focus of the Center. Ryan previously served as Senior Vice President of Data Access Partnerships at Mastercard. In this role, Ryan led the acquisition and management of consumer permissioned financial data for Mastercard international open banking, which includes the industry-leading efforts to move to tokenized data acquisition methods. His work and leadership have led to data access agreements with many of the largest financial institutions in the country. Ryan also represented Mastercard in industry efforts around consumer financial data access, consumer consent, privacy, and data handling practices. He is an impassioned advocate for expanding Fintech. Ryan has been instrumental in the foundation of the Financial Data Exchange and frequently shares his insights with many other FinTech industry groups and initiatives. Ryan is influencing the future of fintech in the state of Utah as the co-chair of the Governor’s Fintech Council. He also is the co-chair of the Certification Working Group of the Financial Data Exchange, an industry standards body that develops international standards for open banking.

 

Scott Elkins - Rock

Scott is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Rock. Rock is the “for more than profit” family office for the Gilberts and their Rock Family of Companies. Scott is responsible for Rock's asset portfolio, particularly direct investments. Scott has had investment leadership roles at the Rock Family of Companies since 2012.Scott helped lead Rocket Companies’ $2 B IPO on the NYSE at a $40 B valuation and subsequent $500 M secondary sale at a $50 B valuation. Scott also helped Rocket Mortgage arrange its first $1 B unsecured revolving credit line and position its first cash flow-based $2 B unsecured note offering. Scott led over two dozen affiliate acquisitions and investments, e.g. Finicity - data and artificial intelligence business sold for $1+ B to MasterCard, Rocket Money (fka Truebill) - the #1 Finance App in the Apple App Store, Core Digital Media - performance marketing business that helped delivered $10s of billion in mortgage clients.

 

Sima Gandhi - FS Vector

Sima J. Gandhi is a seasoned fintech leader currently serving as a Senior Advisor at FS Vector and co-founder of the Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards (CFES). As President and founder of Alton Strategies, she advises tech and financial services firms on regulatory, policy, go‑to‑market, and M&A strategies within complex, regulated industries. Prior to this, she was co-founder and CEO of Creative Juice, a banking platform for content creators that was named a Forbes Top 50 Fintech and a Fast Company Most Innovative Company before being acquired in 2023. Gandhi also served as Head of Global Bank Partnerships, Policy & Strategy at Plaid, helping to architect U.S. open banking regulations and leading the company’s key business and policy relationships through its sale to Visa. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at American Express, where she launched the Bluebird neobank in partnership with Walmart, and at the U.S. Treasury Department, where she played a key role in establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A trained attorney with a JD and LLM in Tax Law from NYU and a BS/BA in Engineering and Science, Technology & Society from Stanford, Gandhi lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son.

 

Simon Taylor - Sardine

Simon Taylor is Head of Strategy & Content at Sardine, a leading AI platform for fraud detection and compliance, where he drives thought leadership, content strategy, and industry engagement. A highly respected voice in fintech with over two decades of experience, he founded the widely-read Fintech Brainfood newsletter, amassing more than 40,000 subscribers including top CEOs and VCs. Simon is a frequent keynote speaker and advisor at global events such as Money20/20 and Point Zero Forum, and is regularly featured in media outlets like BBC, CNBC, and the Financial Times.

 

 

Steve Smith -  The Stena Group

Steve Smith, Chairman of the Stena Group, is a serial technology entrepreneur, business mentor and idealist. Steve’s focus extends beyond business success to a commitment to enduring economic empowerment. He believes that financial inclusion, access to digital services and quality education can be a catalyst for change and can break the chains of generational poverty to lift individuals, families, and local economies. While in college, he began his career as an executive at a rapidly growing technology company. After several years in executive positions across start-ups and publicly traded companies he co-founded Finicity Corporation. Steve established the company as a trailblazer in the exchange of consumer-permissioned financial data, commonly known as open banking. Finicity was eventually acquired by Mastercard, where Steve currently serves as a Mastercard Fellow, leveraging his extensive industry knowledge, leadership in key organizations, and broad relationships to further global open banking. With its vision of enduring economic empowerment, the Stena Group engages in philanthropic initiatives and strategic investments. Steve is driving positive change by supporting organizations directly aligned with these impact areas and those generating resources to sustain these initiatives. Steve played a key role in establishing the Stena Center for Financial Technology at the University of Utah through the Stena Foundation.
Steve is also a graduate, supporter, and rabid fan of the University of Utah.

 

Suchitra Padmanabhan - CBW Bank

Suchitra Padmanabhan is the President of CBW Bank. CBW provides its clients with best-in-class FinTech banking solutions that encompasses deposits, loans & payments.Since its founding over a century ago, the Bank has successfully navigated through multiple economic cycles. CBW has received over twenty recognitions and awards for innovation, including the 2024 Celent Model Bank Award. Prior to CBW, Suchitra worked in investment management and investment banking. Suchitra has an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and a BA and BE from Dartmouth College.

 

 

President Taylor Randall - University of Utah

Taylor R. Randall was selected by the Utah Board of Higher Education as the 17th president of the University of Utah in August 2021. An award-winning educator, innovative leader, and champion of higher education, he comes to the position with more than two decades of experience at the U, serving as both dean of and an accounting professor in the David Eccles School of Business. He is the first alumnus since 1973 to serve as president.

Randall began his tenure by declaring a bold vision to make the U a top 10 public university with unsurpassed societal impact. His strategy outlines three objectives: to inspire a new generation of students by revolutionizing the student experience, innovate and generate discoveries that change the world, and serve our state to impact the lives of all 3.5 million Utahns. The vision includes goals to increase enrollment to 40,000 students and secure $1 billion in research funding annually.

Since his inauguration in March of 2022, Randall has achieved significant milestones on strategic initiatives:

• Embarked on a statewide tour and signed a new compact with the state of Utah to rededicate the U’s role as the state’s flagship university, pledging six commitments to lead, partner, educate, research, provide health care, and serve
• Jointly initiated the Great Salt Lake Strike Team with Utah State University to apply university research expertise to lake preservation efforts
• Implemented campus transformation plans to add 5,000 student housing beds and create a 24/7 college experience
• Hired a Chief Experience Officer to help revolutionize the student experience
• Launched the Wilkes Center for Policy and Climate to leverage the U’s expertise in combatting climate change
• Saw research grants grow to $768 million
• Announced the Climate Change Action Plan to move the U’s net-zero emissions from 2050 to 2040
• Launched the West Valley initiative, a hospital and outpatient health center that offers world-class and culturally appropriate care alongside an academic campus to support education and career pathways
• Launched the Stena Center for Financial Technology, designed to accelerate financial technology innovation and propel the fintech industry forward and cement Utah as a center of excellence
• Announced a $100 million investment in the newly created Responsible AI Initiative
• Oversaw the opening of the reimagined U Career Success Center to improve campus-wide job placement, starting salaries, and other career success metrics
• Initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process, Impact 2030, as well as a 10-year university physical development plan.

Randall began his career at the U as a professor of accounting from 1999-2009, then led the David Eccles School of Business from 2009-2021. Under his leadership, the school grew five-fold and expanded its experiential learning opportunities with the creation of the Goff Strategic Leadership Center, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis, and the Sorenson Impact Center. His professional experience includes consulting positions with major companies such as General Motors, Dupont, and O.C. Tanner. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1990 with honors in accounting and earned an MBA and a doctorate in operations and information management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Randall and his wife, Janet, have four children, one daughter-in-law, and one son-in-law. He loves spending family time playing games, relaxing in the backyard, mountain biking, road biking, golfing, and all things sports-related.

 

Tom Carpenter - Mastercard

Tom Carpenter is the Senior Vice President of North America Industry & Policy Engagement for Open Banking & Open Finance at Mastercard Data & Services, where he leads the company’s strategic advocacy efforts with regulators, policymakers, industry partners, and standards bodies. Over a prolific 20‑year career in financial services, Tom co-founded and led government affairs for the Financial Data Exchange (FDX) prior to joining Mastercard, where he helped develop industry-led standards for open banking. In his current role, he’s played a central part in helping U.S. banks prepare for CFPB Section 1033 regulations and has been featured in Mastercard’s thought leadership, including webinars and insights on navigating this new regulatory landscape. Tom began his career representing financial services clients in Washington and even served as a legislative aide in the U.S. Congress, bringing policy acumen and industry insight to his current leadership in open finance.

 

Yoseph West - Relay

Yoseph West is the Co-Founder & CEO of Relay, an online banking and money management platform that puts small businesses, and their advisors in complete control of their cash flow. Before Relay, Yoseph led marketing at Hubdoc, joining the company when it was at zero revenue and leading its growth until Hubdoc’s eventual acquisition by Xero. Prior to that, Yoseph also co-founded Vuru, a financial analysis product that was acquired by Wave Accounting. He later joined Wave Accounting (now H&R Block) to lead the company's product engagement and monetization efforts.