Finastra added three key players to its executive team on June 23.  

The tech provider, which serves 8,100 financial institutions, appointed Dan Baptiste as chief operating officer and Mike Stawchansky as chief technology officer. 

“Our priorities this year are clear — deliver scalable, secure and intuitive technology, harness the power of generative AI and continue to evolve with our customers’ needs,” Chief Executive Chris Walters said in a June 23 release.  

The company also appointed Shirley Powell as head of strategic communications, according to the release.  

Finastra named Walters CEO in January. He succeeded Simon Paris, who was CEO for nearly a decade.  

Demiral named global head of data analytics at Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered appointed Yusuf Demiral as global head of wealth and retail banking data, analytics and AI effective July 7. 

He joins Standard Chartered from HSBC, where he was group head of data analytics and customer relationship management for wealth and personal banking, according to a June 2 Standard Chartered release. 

Demiral will report to Samir Subberwal, global head of wealth solutions, deposits and mortgages and chief client officer, according to the release. 

Lloyds appoints Chakravarty head of agentic AI

Lloyds named Aritra Chakravarty as head of agentic AI effective June 2.  

Chakravarty reports to Director and Group Head of AI and Advanced Analytics Rohit Dhawan, according to the bank’s May 27 release. 

He joins the bank from intelligent automation platform provider JIFFY.ai and has also held leadership roles at HSBC, according to the release. 

“His appointment underscores our commitment to developing AI systems that not only drive innovation but also enhance the everyday experiences for our customers and clients,” Dhawan stated in the release. 

Better taps Leah Price to lead AI platform

Better.com appointed Leah Price to lead its AI-driven, automated, rules-based decision engine and software platform, Tinman.  

“Tinman’s AI Platform is democratizing access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence,” Price said in a June 10 Better release. “Lenders of all sizes can now harness the speed, efficiency and automated risk management capabilities that previously were exclusive to the industry’s largest, most tech-savvy lenders.” 

Tinman uses AI to automate and streamline mortgage origination and homeowner services, according to the release.  

Prior to joining Better.com, Price led the office of fintech and office of the chief AI officer at Federal Housing Finance Agency, according to the release. 

Germann to lead payment services at Travis Credit Union

The $5 billion Travis Credit Union announced the appointment of Chris Germann as managing director of payment services and Kirsten Miller as information security officer on June 3.  

The appointments support the credit union’s investment in new solutions and technology, Germann told Bank Automation News.  

In fact, Travis is investing in the following tech: 

• Predictive card processing tools; 

  

• Self-service options via digital and voice channels; 

• The ability to deposit multiple checks at one time; 

• Online account opening; 

• Biometric fraud detection tools; and 

• Branches. 

These investments “have a security side to them,” Miller told BAN. It’s all “about keeping our systems available and secure.”