The Founder
Cecilia is a Swiss-American strategic advisor with expertise in risk management, regulatory compliance, audit and proven experience in driving sustainable growth and operational excellence during turnarounds, financial crisis and through credit and business cycles. She has held senior leadership roles, including Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Business Management, at UBS, SIX, DB, and CCB, where she has consistently delivered global and regional transformations by managing reputational, macroeconomic, and financial risks, leading to substantial capital savings, revenue gains, competitive differentiation, and M&A strategy.
Cecilia has scaled a company to sustainable financial self-sufficiency, growing the client base from zero to 100 companies and expanding client reach from 90 to 180 jurisdictions through diversified revenue streams and repeatable, scalable processes in finance, operations, HR, technology, marketing, and communications.
The CVA Code of Conduct, which she authored, has been adopted by over 1,000 individuals and 250 companies globally. She has hands-on experience with applied artificial intelligence, data governance, and high-performance computing and has been invited to serve as a technical expert on the Council of Europe’s AI Committee Huderia Platform.
She worked alongside the World Bank and McKinsey and mentored cross-functional teams at a digital bank that reached unicorn status, benefiting tens of millions of unbanked, advancing five UN SDG goals. She is currently the supervisory Board Secretary of an AI start-up, Besso, that seeks to unlock savings in supply chains.
She is a co-founder and former Chair of the 100 Women in Finance Zurich Education Committee and is currently a member of the Global Fintech Committee. She recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of 100 Women in Finance at the London Stock Exchange.
Awards & Learning for Life
She received a cross-divisional, team leadership award for advancing risk culture at UBS and a commendation letter from the United Nations for advancing six UN SDGs in over 130 countries early on in her career. Cecilia holds an E-MBA from the University of St. Gallen, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and dual degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She holds certifications in IAPP Artificial Intelligence Governance, Software Engineering, and Advanced Compliance Management from the University of St. Gallen. She speaks German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.