mentor profile
20+ years building the bridge between financial innovation and regulatory reality. Abda helps fintechs scale without regulatory landmines and helps banks transform without losing control.
Having worked across major financial institutions and high-growth ventures, Abda brings a rare dual perspective: she understands what banks need to see before they say yes and what fintechs need to build before they can scale.
Her work sits at the intersection of technology, regulation, operational resilience, and customer experience. She has led complex risk and regulatory transformation efforts across global banking environments, helping organizations translate supervisory expectations into practical frameworks, scalable controls, and measurable outcomes.
Why This Matters:
Most fintech innovation dies in the compliance gap. Great products fail because founders underestimate regulatory complexity. Traditional banks struggle with digital transformation because they overcomplicate technology integration and underestimate operational risk.
Abda's focus: helping companies navigate this tension moving fast while building trust with regulators, investors, and institutional partners.
What Sets Her Apart:
Dual-Market Experience: Worked across global financial institutions and entrepreneurial environments, she speaks both languages fluently and knows how decisions get made on both sides.
RegTech & Compliance Expertise: Deep experience designing risk and compliance operating models, governance frameworks, and control environments that stand up to audit and supervisory scrutiny.
Strategic Integration: Proven ability to connect end-to-end banking infrastructure core systems, ledgers, digital channels, operations, communications, and crisis response into a cohesive transformation strategy.
Career Capital Builder: Passionate about developing talent and building meaningful professional networks that create long-term value in financial services.
- Appointed Head of Sustainability Risks within Group Operational Risk at one of the largest financial institutions in the Nordics, leading cross-functional oversight, executive reporting, risk monitoring, and regulatory alignment on emerging sustainability requirements.
- Led the risk evaluation and governance design for AI deployment, within operational risk balancing innovation velocity with regulatory, data protection, and model risk requirements while establishing structured oversight mechanisms for responsible AI use.
- Built an institutional, group-wide Data Privacy Risk Management operating model, including governance, organisational design, talent strategy, and measurable KPIs/KRIs strengthening regulatory compliance while enabling sustainable business growth.
- Developed enterprise-wide regulatory remediation and reporting frameworks in response to supervisory and audit feedback, strengthening governance execution and improving operational resilience.
- Led the pilot execution for a major cross-border customer migration, overseeing end-to-end readiness across the full banking value chain from customer accounts and ledger architecture to core systems, digital app functionality, communications strategy, and crisis management protocols.
- Directed a major regulatory change programme under UK ring-fencing reforms, leading the Liquidity Workstream to support the creation of a standalone regulated banking entity and ensure compliance with systemic risk requirements.
- Helped establish a Front Office Liquidity Risk advisory capability at a leading UK financial institution, supporting clients in mitigating liquidity, market, and tail-risk exposure to strengthen resilience and improve risk-adjusted returns.
- Embedded regulatory controls into global trading operations at a leading investment bank, integrating regulatory protocols into commodities trading processes to enhance non-financial risk management and contractual safeguards.
- Managed cross-regional securities lending trading activity across Asia ex-Japan, executing trades and maintaining institutional relationships while actively reducing market risk exposure.
- Led global process and control enhancements within trading operations at a major financial institution, streamlining workflows, strengthening controls, implementing stress testing, and developing regional Business Continuity Plans.
- Translated complex risk and regulatory data into executive-level insight, delivering board and senior leadership communications that supported strategic decision-making and risk-based prioritisation.
- Managed the content and delivery strategy for a flagship Business Leaders Summit, coordinating with government trade representatives, senior executives, and external speakers while overseeing marketing, press, and creative agencies to ensure successful execution.
- Built and scaled a sustainability-focused consumer brand, defining strategy and KPIs, leading a five-person team, and driving product development and go-to-market execution while optimising operations, supply chain, and multi-channel commercial growth.
Fintech Founders & Leaders Building financial products and need to navigate regulatory requirements, bank partnerships, or compliance frameworks without killing your velocity
Traditional Financial Institutions Leading digital transformation initiatives, evaluating fintech partnerships, or integrating new technology into legacy systems
Career Builders in Financial Services Professionals looking to accelerate their career, build strategic networks, or transition between traditional finance and fintech
B2B Fintech Companies Selling into banks or financial institutions and need to understand buyer requirements, compliance expectations, and how to position for enterprise deals
You're NOT a fit if:
- You're pre-product or exploring ideas without commitment
- You want to bypass compliance or find regulatory "shortcuts" (they don't exist)
- You're looking for pure technical implementation rather than strategic guidance
- You're not willing to invest in building the right foundations for sustainable growth
Fintech Regulatory Strategy Navigate compliance requirements, build regulatory frameworks, and develop go-to-market strategies that satisfy both innovation goals and oversight requirements
Bank-Fintech Partnership Development Structure partnerships, understand institutional requirements, and build collaboration models that create value on both sides
Digital Transformation Advisory Guide technology integration in established financial institutions—balancing innovation with risk management, legacy systems, and regulatory constraints
Career Development & Strategic Networking Mentor professionals navigating career transitions, building industry networks, or developing leadership capabilities in financial services
Strategic Business Planning Integrate technology roadmaps with business strategy, ensuring innovation initiatives align with market realities, regulatory landscape, and growth objectives
Ongoing Strategic Advisory Regular advisory sessions for founders, executives, and professionals navigating the complex intersection of finance, technology, and regulation
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