A career spent where finance meets technology
I started out building risk systems for a trading floor. Today I advise boards on whether to replace the systems that run their institutions.
Along the way I learned that most technology programs in finance don’t fail for technical reasons. They fail for human ones: unclear ownership, optimistic plans, and risks nobody wants to say out loud.
In 2020 I founded Vlasenko & Partners to offer a different kind of advice: senior, independent and accountable for outcomes. Today the firm works with banks, insurers, payment companies and investors in eleven countries.
My path
From inside a global bank, to partner at a global advisory firm, to building my own. Each step brought me closer to the decisions that matter most.
- 2008
Technology risk analyst, global bank
Built the controls and reporting that sat between trading systems and the risk function in a capital markets division. It taught me how much of finance depends on systems nobody looks at.
- 2011
Payments program lead, retail bank
Led the move to faster domestic payments, and the changes it forced on operations, fraud and customer service.
- 2015
Director, financial services technology advisory
Advised banks and insurers on platform strategy, vendor selection and delivery assurance at a global professional services firm.
- 2018
Partner, same firm
Led the firm’s core modernization practice across its banking clients, and saw how often good programs were let down by bad governance.
- 2020
Founded Vlasenko & Partners
An independent advisory firm built around senior-led engagements that are accountable for outcomes.
- Today
Founder and managing partner
Advising banks, insurers, payment companies and investors in eleven countries, and serving on the board of a digital bank.
“The hardest part of modernizing a bank is rarely the technology. It’s telling the truth about risk early enough to act on it.”
How I work
Say the risk out loud
Boards make better decisions with bad news early than good news late. I report risk plainly, including the risks in my own recommendations.
Change in stages customers never notice
Big-bang cutovers make headlines when they work and careers end when they don’t. I design programs that can pause, roll back and restart without drama.
Leave the team stronger
Every engagement ends with the client’s own people running what we built, and confident enough to change it without calling us.
Beyond the work
What I do outside client engagements. Each one keeps me closer to the people who will run financial services next.
Mentoring
I mentor early-stage fintech founders and women stepping into technology leadership in financial services.
Teaching
Guest lectures on financial technology and transformation for executive education programs.
Writing
Notes from the Ledger, a monthly letter read by bankers, regulators and founders.
Community
Volunteer work on financial literacy for young adults starting their first jobs.
Education and credentials
- MBA, finance and strategy
- BSc, computer science
- Certified risk management professional
- Board director certification
Boards and roles
- Non-executive director, digital challenger bank2023 to now
- Advisory board, university fintech research centre2022 to now
- Technology committee, national payments association2021 to now
- Mentor, women in finance leadership program2019 to now
Start a conversation
A program that has stalled, a board decision ahead, or an event you’re planning. The first call is a conversation, not a pitch.