Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates
I am a Chief Risk Officer and operator who builds and scales businesses in regulated markets—combining risk leadership with product execution, automation, and team management across digital assets and traditional finance. I focus on turning risk frameworks into scalable operating models: governance, risk appetite, limits, monitoring, escalation, and incident response—implemented in a way that supports growth rather than constrains it. I’ve held leadership roles from early build stage through scaling and, ultimately, successful acquisitions, partnering closely with founders, product, engineering, and front-office teams to institutionalize decisioning. My approach is pragmatic and measurable: reduce manual friction, standardize recurring workflows, improve speed-to-decision, and build defensible controls with clear accountability. I’m comfortable in complex environments (multi-asset portfolios, derivatives, venue/custody risk, and hybrid TradFi/digital-asset stacks) but aim for systems and processes that are simple to run. Focus areas: CRO leadership, startup scaling and acquisition readiness, product management, automation/AI-enabled workflows, risk platforms and monitoring, market & counterparty/credit risk, and operational controls across digital assets + TradFi.
- Own enterprise risk across market, counterparty/credit, liquidity, and operational domains for a multi-asset digital markets platform operating at institutional standards. - Established the risk operating model: risk appetite, limits, governance cadence, escalation paths, incident response, and management reporting. - Partnered with trading, treasury, product, and engineering to translate risk requirements into scalable controls, consistent decisioning, and measurable SLAs. - Built and deployed a risk data and monitoring stack (dashboards, alerts, exception workflows) to reduce manual dependency and improve time-to-decision. - Implemented automation / AI-enabled workflows to standardize recurring risk processes (e.g., counterparty reviews, venue/custody assessments, ongoing monitoring), improving consistency and auditability. - Led and developed a risk team; introduced operating cadence, documentation standards, and performance metrics aligned with business growth.
- Held dual mandate as CRO + CPO, owning both the risk operating model and the product architecture/roadmap that enabled institutional scale and ultimately supported the firm’s successful acquisition. - Designed and built core product capabilities end-to-end: authored specifications, prototyped in Python, validated workflows with stakeholders, then drove engineering delivery through production release cycles. - Developed the firm’s margin and collateral framework (methodology, add-ons, concentration/wrong-way logic, stress testing, limit structures), enabling scalable financing and risk decisioning across diversified client portfolios. - Built and institutionalized the counterparty credit risk framework: onboarding standards, exposure measurement, monitoring, escalation governance, and ongoing reviews. - Implemented controls and operating cadence across market, credit, and operational risk, translating governance requirements into systems, processes, and automated monitoring rather than manual checklists. - Navigated the FTX default and broader market stress periods with disciplined escalation and rapid control actions, protecting the firm and maintaining operational continuity. - Delivered the platform and controls that enabled the business to operate successfully without counterparty losses, reinforcing institutional credibility with clients and stakeholders. - Led cross-functional execution across business development, operations, finance, legal/compliance, product, and engineering; scaled teams and established documentation and decision SLAs that held under stress. - Managed a total of 15 people in Risk and Product.
- Led the Credit & Risk business line as an internal operator, owning strategy, product roadmap, delivery, and commercial outcomes. - Defined and launched credit/risk capabilities for institutional workflows, focusing on scalable controls, transparency, and operational robustness. - Built cross-functional execution model across product, engineering, operations, and stakeholders; delivered platform improvements with clear KPIs and delivery cadence. - Implemented standardization and automation of recurring client and operational processes to improve throughput and consistency. - Represented the firm in industry discussions and client engagements, translating regulatory/market requirements into product and operating decisions.
New York, NY & London, UK - Progressed from VP (Product Management & Quantitative Risk) to Head of Risk for Prime Services (ExCo member), leading multi-asset risk and platform delivery across regions (EU/US/Asia) and products (OTC, listed clearing, prime services). - Owned enterprise risk across counterparty/credit, market, liquidity, and operational domains for Prime Services, translating regulatory and business constraints into scalable governance and controls. - Designed and implemented margin, stress testing, and portfolio risk frameworks for complex client portfolios, including concentration and wrong-way risk logic and collateral practices suitable for institutional scale. - Led major regulatory and market-structure change delivery (e.g., derivatives reform and clearing expansion), converting policy requirements into systems, processes, and auditable operating procedures. - Built senior governance cadence: risk appetite, limits, monitoring, escalation, and crisis management; ensured consistency of decisioning across desks, regions, and products. - Drove capital and balance-sheet optimization initiatives, aligning risk standards with growth objectives under Basel-era constraints. - Managed and developed global teams (up to 12 risk managers at senior role), establishing operating rhythm, documentation standards, and management reporting for executive stakeholders. - Steered the organization through major stress events (including CHF de-pegging and RUB dislocation) with rapid escalation, disciplined actions, and resilient operating controls—maintaining client and franchise stability.