Past Speakers Europe

Dr Charles C. Phiri is a distinguished architect dedicated to advancing well-behaved, auditable AI/ML and data-intensive systems. With over 25 years of experience engineering transformative solutions across multiple disciplines and industries, Dr Phiri is an Executive Director with JPMorgan Chase, designated as SME AI/ML Innovation in the Global Technology Enterprise Architecture team. His work contributes to redefining enterprise-wide AI/ML reference architectures and consumption patterns, forming the baseline for firmwide risk characterization of AI/ML and agentic systems and motivating operational excellence for distributed and cloud-native AI systems.
Throughout his career, Dr Phiri has achieved high-impact successes, ranging from designing scalable R&D solutions in financial services, semiconductors, telecommunications, space and defense, digital storage infrastructure, and medical devices, to spearheading innovative projects that merge deep technical rigor with practical application. Notably, he was part of the team that developed an exoskeleton-based solution to assist post-stroke patients in regaining mobility and contributed to cutting-edge advances in robotics, commercial satellite systems, microwave and RF systems, A-GPS systems, real-time embedded technologies, MEMS, and ultra–low-energy designs, progressing from R&D to the commercialization of multi–billion devices.
A respected thought leader and active contributor in his field, Dr Phiri researches advanced AI/ML systems with a clear focus on delivering practical, real-world solutions in constrained environments. His other contributions include areas such as neuromorphic computing, deep learning, spiking neural networks, robotics, context-free grammars, formal verification, and the systems engineering of robust, characteristically auditable distributed AI systems in real-world environments (IntRob’25). His academic research interests include developing real-time collision avoidance for industrial robotic arms (ICIRA 2021) and fuzzy rule-based outlier detection (ISA Transactions, 2021); dynamical system specification and stabilization (ICIRA 2017); accelerating robot learning through context-aware middleware (ICIRA 2016); adaptive, intelligent self-calibrating systems (2011); and scaffolded life-long robot learning from human skills (2019), all of which underscore his dedication to bridging theoretical innovation with tangible, real-world applications.
Dr Phiri is also a Senior IEEE Member, a Chartered IT Professional with the British Computer Society, and designated Gartner Peer Community Ambassador. He earned his PhD in Humanoid Robotics from the University of Portsmouth, reading humanoid robot learning from human action skills (motion planning, scaffolded life-long robot learning). He holds an MSc in Internet Systems from the University of Liverpool.
Beyond his corporate credentials, Dr Phiri is passionate about leveraging technology (including remote sensing and satellite imaging systems) to address critical gaps in food systems across Sub-Saharan Africa through regenerative precision agriculture and logistics ventures. His lifelong commitment to self-calibration is exemplified by his accomplishment as a 4th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do, which is built on the tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and an indomitable spirit.

His responsibilities include the development and maintenance of SEB Group’s internal sanctions requirements and practices, as well as the execution of the Groups enterprise-wide sanctions risk assessment. Henrik began his banking career in 2005 in trade finance. Since 2010, he has worked in various compliance and risk management roles focusing on sanctions at different banks, and has been involved in several financial crime transformation projects.

Giorgio Andreoli has extensive professional experience in digital financial solutions and innovative services, spanning multiple industries and executive roles. Before joining the EPC in March 2023 he has been working from Sep 2021 at the European Central Bank (ECB) on the Digital Euro project. From 2010 to 2021 he served as a Managing Director at Accenture, working on digital finance, payments, and open banking projects for Italian and European clients. Before then he worked for 15 years in the telco sector, eventually serving as Director of Strategic Marketing at Ericsson South-East Europe.

Stefan took his first steps at Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) in 2011 as a working student in the IT Delivery Risk area. Over the following years, he worked as an IT Consultant within the company and outside as a strategy and management consultant in the financial world for Capco and Leonid Consult. Additionally, he served as a Group Program Manager for various topics such as bank regulations, big data, and analytics.
In recent years, he led the Data Tribe in the Group Data Management area, tasked with establishing modern data management in agile environments. Since July 2022, Stefan has been part of the RBI IT Management Team for IT Core and Data, leading cross-functional strategic Data Transformation, with focus on Data Mesh implementation, as part of IT Strategy & Transformation. Last year he took over the implementation of a new compliance and second line of defense function for prudential compliance and heads the new department including deputizing the Group Regulatory Compliance Officer of RBI.

Vincent Brennan is an industry authority on the future of banking, and payments, with an extensive executive leadership track record in transformation, operations and risk management. He has over 40 years’ experience in FS with 20+ working in banking payments and on industry bodies (including Euro Banking Association Deputy Chairman up to 2021), and more recently as a Transformation Director at Accenture and as a non-Executive Director.

Sandra Sommerlund leads the Customer & Sector Integration tribe at Danske Bank but comes from a background in Markets. She started her career in the investment management department of a Nordic insurance company before transitioning to Danske Bank in 2017 – initially dealing interest rate derivates and later heading up the Nordic FX sales desk for business customers. In her current role, Sandra has the responsibility for Danske Bank’s well-renowned file integration solutions while driving their large commercial ambitions in the Open Banking area which is a key component in the bank’s Forward ’28 strategy

Scott is a payments industry leader and SME of 17 years, with experience across a range of local (UK) and global financial services organisations. His experience is primarily focused in product management / development, strategy development / deployment and sales.

He enjoys the challenge of keeping up with the new technological changes that we continue to experience and relating this back to evolving product and service offerings to delight customers.

He currently holds a position on the Pay.UK industry advisory council in the UK, focused on using his experience to help influence and direct their future strategy. He has also previously held board and advisory positions with LINK, UK Payments Council and number of payment-related fintechs.

László Kajdi is the Head of the Financial Infrastructures and Payments Policy Section at the Central Bank of Hungary (MNB). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics with a thesis on international remittances to Hungary. Previously he worked at the Hungarian Ministry of Finance and in the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. In his present position he is responsible for tasks concerning the development of the Hungarian payment system, i.e. designing and executing public policies which facilitate the prevalence of electronic payment methods. This includes the further development of the Hungarian “qvik” instant payments service, as well as tasks in connection with the analysis of central bank digital currencies. The development of financial infrastructures like the Hungarian ACH, CSD and CCP is also an important part of his work. In addition, his tasks cover the elaboration of proposals for payments related regulation.

Specialist in financial services law and global payment solutions for corporates and financial institutions. Leading and managing the Global Payment Solutions Europe and Product Legal Team and providing Global oversight and support regarding liquidity, cash management and payment legal risk.

Private practice roles in both Paris and London and as in-house counsel, including a number of secondments to global financial institutions. Experienced advisor for implementing changes relating to finance and financial services law; supporting regional deal and product governance forums. Specialising in strategic projects assessing the impact of legal, regulatory, strategic and market changes and advising on solutions.

Trustee on the board of The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) – Friends in the UK and Peacehaven House care home.

Christian Schäfer has headed the newly formed Payment Department at the DSGV since February 1, 2024.

Mr. Schäfer joins from the European Central Bank, where he was responsible for developing a payment scheme for the digital euro as Chair of the Digital Euro Scheme Rulebook Development Group in the Market Infrastructure and Payment Directorate.

Prior to that, Christian Schäfer held various global and regional roles as Head of Product in the Corporate Banking division of Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt and London.

He teaches various disciplines in the field of managerial skills such as negotiation, leadership, strategy, innovation and change management at the University of Mannheim and the Mannheim Business School.

Experienced Senior Business Consultant on banking applications.

Dealing room applications (syndication, selling and market making of bonds trading)
Electronic banking systems (Retail, Corporate and Private Banking users)
Payment systems ( Payment acquisition, processing, clearing and settlement)
Global Cash Management (Netting, Notional Pooling, Sweeping…)
Card processing and management (transaction acquisition, processing and settlment)
Loans management systems (Mortgage loans, personal loans…)
Trade finance processing (Letters of credit, Documentary collections, Bonds and guarantees)
global Custody (Transaction management, Portfolio management, corporate actions …)

Outstanding ability to understand the requirements of the customers and to relate it to the product capabilities of our software.

Specialties: Strong pre-sales consultant specialized in banking systems.

She believe in transformation and innovation in the heart of every improvement, looking for better customer experience and boosting the personal growth for people in your team. With experience in transformational and complex projects, becoming a business-technology translator, managing multidisciplinary teams, and working effectively with the rest of the company areas or external third parties to accomplish business goals.
With high experience developing products and services, Customer experience and data quality oriented. Project management and governance, coordinating other areas to achieve an accurate implementation of new initiatives, products and services.

A very long time ago Tim’s first job was to work out how to use smart cards and cryptography to build a payment system. Since then he’s worked with clients in over 70 countries and been involved in most major initiatives in retail payments including EMV, contactless and tokenization, with a sideline in other security related programs such as transit ticketing and digital identity. In recent years he’s focused more on instant payment initiatives including PSD2 / Open Banking, digital wallet initiatives, Central Bank Digital Currencies and cross-border payment initiatives

With over 25 years as a seasoned technology leader, I specialize in advancing digital payment solutions, real-time gross settlement systems, and financial market infrastructure on a global scale.

Currently serving as Adviser Payment Systems, I drive transformative strategies for payment systems, cross-border payments, and scalable IT infrastructures. My career includes high-impact leadership roles at the European Central Bank, where I led pivotal technology programs for the Eurosystem and fostered robust partnerships with national central banks and financial institutions worldwide.

I am passionate about leveraging innovation and agile methodologies to streamline operations, fortify cybersecurity, and optimize real-time data flow for modern financial ecosystems.

Core Competencies:
• Strategic IT Leadership: Expert in overseeing global payment technology strategies, budget management, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Innovation & Digital Transformation: Strong track record of implementing next-generation payment technologies, enhancing cybersecurity, and automating key processes.
• Cross-Border Collaboration: Skilled in steering multi-national teams and building strategic partnerships with central banks, regulatory bodies, and technology providers.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance: Comprehensive experience in enhancing IT security across payment systems, meeting stringent regulatory and operational standards.

20+ years experiences in IT development & Team Leadership within Financial Industry

Axel is a seasoned business development manager at SurePay, the inventors of Verification of Payee in Europe. He joined SurePay in 2025 and is responsible for expanding the companies presence and offerings in the D-A-CH region, leveraging his extensive network and knowledge of the financial services industry.

Marcus joined the Digital Euro Project from day one on and supported the holistic definition of the front-end related product part. This included a wide scope from the distribution model via form factor considerations up to the compensation model. Since July 2024 he acts as team lead for the online use case team within the Product Proposition Division. The team is responsible for all front-end related standards, formats and specifications around the digital euro as well as the detailed implementation of those within the rulebook of the Digital Euro.
Before joining the ECB Marcus worked 11 years at Deutsche Bundesbank in different occupations, but always within the payments policy area. He was responsible with his team for the evolution of the SEPA clearer, was involved in national debit card migration projects but as well in Bundesbank’s first DLT experiments.
Marcus has a background in economics from Bonn University as well as KU Leuven.

Saskia Devolder is a dynamic executive leader with over 20 years of experience in the
financial services and payments industry. As the Head of Visa Direct Central Europe at
Visa, Saskia is at the forefront of transforming money movement, enabling fast, simple
and secure ways to pay and be paid.
Previously, as Managing Director Strategy Cross-border Payments and Head of Western
& Central Europe at SWIFT, she spearheaded strategic initiatives to enable frictionless,
instant cross-border payments. Saskia successfully launched SWIFT gpi and led the
ECB ESMIG project, driving innovation and efficiency across Europe.
Known for her ability to demystify complex concepts in diverse, multicultural settings,
Saskia is passionate about sustainable growth through innovation and technology. Her
earlier career includes impactful senior roles at MasterCard, Synstar International, and
Sterling Software.

Founder & CEO of Banfico, supporting financial institutions with Open Banking and Verification of Payee solutions.

Open Banking expert who has worked at leading financial institutions in the UK – RBS, HSBC, WorldPay, Lloyds Banking Group. An active participant in various working groups on Open Banking and a speaker at various conferences. Serving as Advisor to Berlin Group’s open finance standards – EU’s most widely used API specification.

A strong advocate of Open Standards and an expert in identity & security. Come from a technical background with 20+ years of experience & is a hands-on solution architect. Graduate in Applied Mathematics.

David Ballaschk is a payments expert in the Deutsche Bundesbank’s Directorate General Payments and Settlement Systems. His work focuses mainly on cross-border and real-time payments. He is a member of various G20 and G7 groups focussing on payments.

Robert Kiszely graduated from Eotvos Lorand Science University in Computer Science. He was hired as the first Capsys employee in 1998. Over the past 26 years he has gained experience in several fields in banking and financial IT: expert consultancy, development, implementation and support of securities settlement, pension fund administration and payment systems. Robert has successfully led several domestic and international projects. As Director of Professional Services, he runs the professional support of Capsys’ international partnership programme, focusing on Immediate Payments and PSD2/ Open Banking. Robert has been recognised as one of the leading experts of Immediate Payments and PSD2/Open Banking in Hungary, having spoken at numerous conferences on these topics. Over the last three years he has led the architectural design and subsequent implementation of two major immediate payment implementations in Hungary.”

Experienced Senior Advisor on Payments and Cash Management Services.

Principal at Quad Solutions Ltd, heading Management Consulting Services. I cover both Strategic and Product consultancy for IT Vendors, Banks and Corporates across Europe.

Providing professional advisory and training to payment fintechs and banks on strategy, products, targeting, sales approach, pricing, implementation and post-sales.

I also work as Senior Advisor with global payment infrastructures and central banks for the evolution of payments services and related regulation, standards and market practices.

Served at UniCredit Group as Head of Payments Italy, Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe for 12 years with a demonstrated history of successful product innovation.

Strong competences in SEPA, Instant and International Payments, Foreign Exchange, Liquidity Management, Pricing Models, Receivable Reconciliation, Virtual Accounts, AML, Revenue Enhancement

Passionate about payments modernization and worldwide access to secure, interoperable payment systems, I have been fortunate to find myself at the forefront of Payments Canada’s modernization efforts, helping to define Canadian usage of the international ISO 20022 standard for the Real-Time Rail and high-value system Lynx. My extensive knowledge and expertise in this area has also allowed me to represent Payments Canada as an engaging public speaker in multiple conferences.

Working closely with Payments Canada’s members and stakeholders, I help to analyze Canadian banking systems and business needs, assessing potential solutions to identified issues and proposed ISO 20022 message development initiatives while recommending strategic approaches (both systemic and operational) to support the best way forward for Payments Canada and the Canadian financial ecosystem.

Driven by innovation and global cooperation, I continually challenge myself to remain at the forefront of key developments and trends in Payment Market Infrastructures and Modernization efforts, and as such, regularly collaborate with various worldwide organizations and financial governing bodies including the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Susana is Managing Director, Strategy & Business Development at Swift. She defines and executes
strategies for Swift to support the financial community in delivering instant and frictionless payments across the world.
In her professional trajectory with over 20 years of experience, she has developed a broad expertise in
payments, having worked for leading financial institutions such as Santander’s cross-border payments division and Citi’s credit cards business.
Beyond the financial industry, she delved into the dynamic world of technology holding leadership roles at Amazon and in the B2B software industry, where she led digital transformation and go-to-market strategies. Earlier in her career she was a management consultant at McKinsey.

‘Martijn de Ruijter is head of SEPA Payments and Payment Transactions Fraud at Rabobank – a Dutch cooperative bank. In this position he is responsible for product management and delivery related to SEPA Payment Products (including Instant Payments) and a number of related applications. In addition, he is accountable and risk and model owner regarding external fraud including (coordination of) relevant policies and awareness, prevention, detection, case handling and compensation activities. Martijn has a background in Business Lending for SME and corporate customers and holds two Master degrees in Finance and Marketing’.

The “too hard basket” is my comfort zone. I excel at simplifying complex challenges, collaborating with Subject Matter Experts to transform underperforming verticals affected by legislative, operational, or legacy issues. I thrive on continuous growth, both personal and professional, through learning and coaching.

Key achievements include founding an early-payment platform serving over 200 corporations, securing significant debt funding, financing 35,000+ WorkCover Claims, and developing a bankable legal framework for high-risk construction finance. I also created a multi-currency factoring system boosting efficiency by 10X and resolved critical deficiencies in a public health system, preventing potential crises. Challenges inspire me.

Bence Marosi has a diverse work experience spanning over two decades. Bence started his career at Citibank Hungary in 1999, where he held various roles such as Management Associate, Senior Citigold Executive and Investment and Citigold Head. In 2007, he joined UniCredit Bank Hungary, where he led multiple key areas in Retail, Private Banking and Corporate Divisions. In 2020, he joined GIRO Zrt. where he held the COO position between 2021-2023. Since 2023, he is Business Director of GIRO Zrt., overseeing GIRO’s Service Portfolio, Business Development and Testing activities.

Denitsa Rebaine has over 10 years of experience in financial crime compliance. She is currently the EMEA Deputy Head of Sanctions at Bank of New York. Previously she was a Sanctions Compliance Officer at Citibank.
In her role, she manages sanctions risk and provides advice and guidance to functional partners and key stakeholders – regionally and globally, on OFAC, EU and UK sanctions regulations.
In April 2020 Denitsa started the Compliance Time podcast which brings together compliance experts and creators from all over the world.