EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
Q . WALK US THROUGH YOUR ROLE AT BCG .
» I am a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) and lead our payments business in the UK , Belgium , and the Netherlands .
Also , as a part of BCG ’ s global payments management team , I lead the Payments Infrastructure and Schemes / Network segment , our Digital Assets ( digital currencies , including CBDCs and stable coins ) business and our work on Open Banking and Open Finance .
Q . TAKE US DOWN MEMORY LANE A LITTLE BIT . HOW HAS YOUR CAREER PATH TAKEN YOU TO BCG ?
» I had the good fortune of working with three strong consulting firms before joining BCG , each of which brought out different capabilities and skills in me and shaped me into who I am today . Joining BCG in 2020 was the right next step for me as well as an outcome of the strong foundations I ’ d built through my work at the previous firms .
Q . IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW ANYTHING LIKE YOU ENVISAGED GROWING UP ? WHAT WAS YOUR DREAM JOB AS A CHILD ?
» No kid knows what management consulting is , so it certainly wasn ’ t a career path I saw myself on . A younger me wanted to do and be many things – I ’ ve had a strong liking for theatre , singing ( been doing so ever since I can remember !), being a medical doctor and an entrepreneur .
Q . WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT YOUR ROLE , AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES ?
» I have been fortunate to be in an incredibly innovative and fast-paced part of the market . The FinTech sector demands that we constantly evolve and spot future trends early to stay ahead of the game and ensure that we offer the best advice to our clients .
Q . ON TO THE SERIOUS STUFF . GEN AI IN FINANCIAL SERVICES IS THE BIG BUZZ TODAY . HOW CAN IT GO FROM ‘ HYPE ’ INTO REAL , BENEFICIAL APPLICATIONS TO DRIVE EFFICIENCIES ? WHAT ARE ITS BEST USE CASES ?
» Though Gen AI is in its early days of development , across our conversations with clients , many see it as a real gamechanger . The technology offers a chance to transform customer relationships and widen product and service offerings . However , the challenge our clients are trying to solve now is to move from hype to actual profitability on their investment in Gen AI and move from pilots to widespread use across organisations .
Gen AI also presents a significant opportunity for players – large and small – in the financial services sector , especially across banks and insurance providers , to accelerate modernisation while developing and defining technology that works for their organisation .
In 2023 , Gen AI entered the picture , and for companies and individuals , it was a year of experimentation .
fintechmagazine . com 17