BNY Mellon has appointed Julie Gerdeman as its global head of data and analytics. 

Gerdeman will be responsible for managing software and data for nearly $47 trillion of assets managed by BNY, according to a Feb. 20 release.

Prior to joining the $30 billion bank, Gerdeman was chief executive at Everstream Analytics, a supply chain management company, and has held executive roles at JPMorgan and American Express, the release stated. 

BNY Mellon announced on Feb. 5 that it would use Microsoft Azure’s AI models to create new products from BNY’s data sets, according to the bank’s release. 

Citi hires Raghavan away from JPMorgan to head banking  

Citi has hired Viswas Raghavan as head of banking and executive vice chair, according to a release today. 

Raghavan will join Citi this summer from JPMorgan, where he has been head of global investment banking. He had been chief executive of EMEA of JPMorgan, the release stated. 

Raghavan will replace Peter Babej, interim head of banking, who is retiring. He will work to improve efficiency and elevate the customer experience, the release stated.

“We have begun to operate more efficiently and have strong momentum with clients,” Citi Chief Executive Jane Fraser said in the release. “The experience Vis brings in banking and as EMEA CEO makes him the perfect partner to lead the cluster and banking heads across our global network.” 

Citi is in an organizational overhaul, exiting many locations and cutting nearly 10% of its workforce through 2026, Fraser said during the bank’s fourth-quarter earnings call. 

Schulz is new procurement VP at Airbase  

Expense management provider Airbase appointed Mathew Schulz as vice president of procurement strategy, according to a Feb. 14 release. 

Schulz, who served as the head of global procurement at Forrester, a think tank, will be creating a user-friendly “solution for procurement teams in the mid-market to early enterprise sector,” an Airbase spokesperson told Bank Automation News. 

“For the year 2024, Mathew Schulz is positioned to significantly influence the strategic direction and enhancement of Airbase’s procurement solutions,” the spokesperson said. “His role will be strategic, encompassing product development, marketing, and sales efforts.”

Schulz plans to help businesses reduce procurement costs by improving their procurement processes, he told BAN. 

“If we focus on building a procurement ecosystem that values innovation, technology and education, then we have an opportunity to really make an impact,” Schulz said. 

Digital bank Bluevine, compensation software provider Payscale and business payments provider Modern Treasury are among Airbase customers, according to the company’s website. 

Sopra Banking appoints a new chief product officer 

Sopra Banking Software appointed Andrew Steadman as its new chief product officer, according to a Feb. 15 release. 

Steadman is joining Sopra from banking technology provider Temenos, where he was senior product director. He has also been senior director analyst at think tank Gartner, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“One of my main focuses at Sopra Banking Software is on driving the transformation of our products from on-premise to Software-as-a-Service,” Steadman told BAN. “My immediate priority is making sure that Sopra Banking Software is at the center of that transition by having our product teams think SaaS first.” 

Steadman also aims to expand use of Sopra Banking Software’s wholesale financing offering, Sopra Financing Platform, among major U.S. banks, lenders and auto manufacturers, he said. 

Sopra Banking last month appointed Tobias Unger as its chief operating officer. 

Cozzolino new chief strategy officer at GFT 

IT solutions provider GFT appointed Tom Cozzolino as its chief strategy officer in the United States, according to a Feb. 15 release. 

Cozzolino will join GFT from Salesforce, where he was senior director of competitive intelligence, helping to shape Salesforce’s cloud products, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Cozzolino is to focus on next-gen finance, AI and data, aand platform modernization, and how they apply to the banking, financial services, insurance and manufacturing industries, he told BAN. 

“One of GFT’s many strengths is its vertical partnerships with various cloud-based platform providers across industries,” Cozzolino said. “This includes Thought Machine in banking, Guidewire in insurance and LemonEdge in the private equity space, as well as partnerships with technology companies like AWS, Google and Salesforce.” 

GFT aims to expand its U.S. footprint and provide tailored solutions based on industry trends and new technologies, he said.  

The company saw its U.S. client base grow by 15% year over year in 2023, according to the release. 

Personetics names Ziv new CEO 

Personetics, an AI solutions provider, has appointed Udi Ziv as its new CEO. 

Ziv had been chief executive at Kissterra, an IT solution provider for the financial services industry, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“Udi’s extensive leadership experience taking companies through phases of hypergrowth makes him uniquely equipped to guide Personetics’ strategic evolution into its next growth phase,” a Personetics spokesperson told BAN. “[Ziv] will spearhead the process of even further accelerating growth rates and enhancing Personetics’ operational scalability and velocity.” 

Ziv told BAN that he aims to add more Tier 1 banks to Personetics’ client list as the company expands globally and continues to build personalization products and optimize internal operations. 

Personetics customers include $1.2 trillion BMO, $62 billion Akbank and $39 billion Associated Bank, according to its website. 

Solutions by Text names new CFO 

Real-time payments provider Solutions by Text has named Beth Deck chief financial officer, according to a Feb. 8 release. 

Deck had been CFO at Netspend, a digital bank and spend management company, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“I bring a background that’s equipped me with a deep understanding of the payments industry, along with providing insight into how finance can effectively foster data-driven decision-making to grow in a highly regulated industry,” Deck told BAN.  

Solutions by Text wants to enter the AI space through strategic partnerships to enhance operational efficiency for customers, she said. 

“For instance, AI will allow our customers to monitor and adjust their texting campaigns quickly to maximize [key performance indicators] like deliverability, end-customer action and ROI,” Deck said. “AI will enable Solutions by Text and our customers to innovate better and faster, while decreasing regulatory and operational risk and improving business outcomes.” 

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