Hanna Sarraf
Chief Risk Officer | Monzo Europe
Hanna Sarraf is a senior risk executive with over 25 years of experience across both traditional banking and digital, technology-enabled financial institutions. He is currently the Chief Risk Officer at Monzo Europe and has previously served as Chief Risk Officer at Starling International, Group Chief Risk Officer at Bankmed, and Head of Risk Strategy at Bank of Ireland Group. Beyond his industry roles, Hanna has held leadership roles in risk and regulatory management consulting at Accenture, KPMG, Ernst & Young, where he supported UK and international clients transform their risk management practices and deliver effective results.
Hanna holds a Specialised Master’s degree in Financial Engineering from ESSEC Business School and an MSc in Finance from Dauphine University in France. He has authored many articles on financial risk management and is a frequent speaker at leading UK and international conferences.
Riikka Laine-Tolonen
CEO | S-Bank
In her keynote, Riikka Laine-Tolonen, will share how the Finnish bank – owned by S Group, the retail market leader in Finland – is charting its rise through a bold, customer-centric playbook. S-Bank's strategy centers on purposeful expansion, data-driven customer insight and digital-first excellence — leveraging the acquisition of Handelsbanken’s Finnish retail operations, combining the strengths of both cultures, to boost expertise and diversify offerings, all while aiming to become Finland’s fourth-largest household bank and serve one million active customers by 2027. By combining seamless mobile-first service with free daily banking, easy access to investing, and real-world coop benefits, Laine-Tolonen demonstrates how clarity in strategic choices fuels both growth and meaningful performance.
Georg Hauer
Fintech & Digital Banking Advisory | Former N26 General Manager
Georg Hauer helps build and grow fintechs and drives innovation at banks. As a former executive at N26, he scaled the bank from a $500M to a $9B valuation and grew the bank compliance software company HAWK:AI to over 60 countries. With a strong background in tech, hyper-growth, and bank compliance, he now advises, invests in, and builds ventures for fintechs and banks across Europe, the Middle East, and the USA.
Dr. Prag Sharma
Director Emerging Technologies | Citi Institute’s Future of Finance
Dr. Prag Sharma, is a Director at Citi Institute’s Future of Finance focussing on Emerging Technologies. He is also a distinguished Citi Tech Fellow driving thought-leadership in AI. He previously led Citi’s Global Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence, establishing best practices for AI governance, risk, and technology across the organization. Prag has over 15 years of hands-on experience developing innovative solutions in emerging technologies across various sectors. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning and an MBA in Innovation.
Taru Möller
Head of Commercial Portfolio Management | Nordea
Alex MacLean is Citi’s Head of Cyber Security for Europe, Middle East & Africa. He joined Citi in June 2021 as Chief Information for Citi Europe Plc. He has overall responsibility for Cyber security in each of the 22 countries in Europe and across the Middle East and Africa. Alex leads Citi’s Chief Information Security Office (CISO) in the region including on areas such as regulatory management, strategy and project delivery. In recent years, Alex has been instrumental in both the enactment of DORA and coordinating Citi’s cyber readiness through the ongoing crisis in Russia, Ukraine.
Alex has close to 20 years' experience in private industry and prior to joining Citi has worked in multiple roles including CISO for Barclays Corporate Banking and head of Cyber Services at Sogeti, a Capgemini company.
Charly Salonius-Pasternak
CEO | Nordic West Office
Charly leads an advisory and think tank initiative that delivers analysis and fresh perspectives to companies, public authorities, and the third sector. With a background as a researcher and analyst across both private and public sectors, he thrives on challenging orthodoxies and questioning consensus. Charly communicates his insights through a wide range of channels—from print and online media to radio, TV, public speaking, and teaching. His passion lies in exploring the intersections of international politics, business, and technology, and understanding how they shape and influence societies.
Henrik Storå
Head of Fraud Risk Management | Nordea
Hanna-Mari Manninen works as an attorney and heads Dittmar & Indrenius' Strategic Advisory services. She has extensive experience in financing and financial regulation with in-depth knowledge of payment services regulation. Her industry passion lies in fintech and she is also known for being a passionate advocate for good governance and sustainability. Chambers has ranked Hanna-Mari in Band 1 for fintech in Finland in Chambers Fintech Legal for several years.
Hanna-Mari regularly advises leading corporations and financial institutions, including their boards, on strategic compliance matters, often in the context of significant corporate transactions, crisis management or regulatory questions.
In addition to her legal expertise, Hanna-Mari is an experienced member and chair of boards and general meetings. Currently, she serves also as a chair of the Board of UN Women Finland.
Heikki Rautila
Head of Strategic Initiatives | OP Pohjola
Heikki is responsible for accelerating the AI-driven transformation of OP Pohjola. Prior to the current assignment he was heading OP Lab, the corporate innovation unit. Heikki has a wide leadership experience in innovation, strategy, business development, and M&A in highly competitive global businesses. He has a proven track record of making impactful changes happen at the larger ecosystems.
Anastasia Serikova
Head of Visa Direct, Europe | Visa
Anastasia is the Head of Visa Direct, Europe, responsible for overseeing Visa's capability to move money for businesses and consumers domestically and cross-border instantly in an affordable and secure way. During her nearly 8 years at Visa, she has also served as Head of Business Performance and Senior Director, Corporate Strategy. Prior to Visa, Anastasia worked at McKinsey & Company in the Financial Institutions group. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and serves on the advisory board for Women in Payments. She began her career in Moscow and has been based in London since 2014. Her robust skillset includes management consulting, business strategy, financial modeling, valuation, and more.
Shyam Mohan
Director of Strategy Consulting, EMEA | Backbase
Shyam Mohan leads Backbase’s Strategy & Value (S&V) Consulting across EMEA, partnering with boards and executive teams to turn digital and AI ambition into governed, measurable value. His team sits at the intersection of sales, solution engineering, and customer success, shaping progressive-modernization roadmaps, risk-adjusted ROI, and executive alignment that de-risk Tier-1/Tier-2 transformations. Shyam’s work links journeys, decisioning, and orchestration directly to P&L outcomes—from event-driven eligibility and next-best-action, to authenticated conversational servicing with clean human handoff, to hours-to-minutes improvements in KYC, disputes, and lending. He advises across retail, SME, and wealth in Europe and Southeast Asia, with a practical approach to EU AI Act readiness: portfolio governance, clear guardrails, and scoreboards over slideware.
Sami Kankkunen
Country General Manager | Nexi Group
Sami Kankkunen is Country General Manager at Nexi in Finland, overseeing the local strategy, operations, sales and marketing within the Nexi Group.
He joined Nexi in 2023 after more than a decade at Google, where he held senior marketing roles across Northern Europe within the Ads Marketing organisation. In June 2025, he was appointed Country General Manager for Nexi in Finland, a position he currently holds alongside his ongoing role as Head of Marketing.
With extensive experience at the intersection of technology, payments, and marketing, Sami has built a strong track record of leading teams, delivering growth, and shaping strategies in the technology space.
Nexi is a European PayTech company listed on Euronext Milan. It operates across high-growth markets and advanced economies, offering innovative payment solutions for merchants and issuers.
Didier Erne
Senior Subject Matter Expert | FIS
With over 18 years of experience in finance, Didier Erne is a recognized authority in treasury, risk management, and asset-liability solutions. As a Senior Subject Matter Expert at FIS, Didier has spent the last decade helping leading banks and financial institutions across Europe optimize their operations through cutting-edge technology and strategic insights.
Andras Kis-Benedek
Account Manager | Verint
Andras has over 14 years of experience in Software sales, with four years in ERP sector, and ten years’ within the Financial Services Industry. Andras is working now as an Account manager for the Verint Financial compliance product line, covering Nordics, Benelux, and Eastern Europe. Over the years, he participated closing several Tire1 bank deals, and contributed generating business in the mid-market area as well, specifically with Microsoft related products. He also built a strong partner network in these regions and continues progressing in these territories.
Maria Lehtimäki
Partner | Waselius Attorneys
Maria Lehtimäki, Partner at Waselius Attorneys in Helsinki, advises financial institutions, investors, and corporates on cross-border financing, capital markets, and regulatory matters. Her expertise spans funding strategy, structured finance, securitisation, and special situations financing. Recognised by leading ranking guides, Maria is a frequent speaker at European capital markets industry events.
And many more! View the full list of speakers on the Nordic Banking Forum website.
