Banking Leadership Summit 2026
An intimate forum for banking executives and transformation leaders to uncover how banks can move faster, operate smarter, and create customer value — grounded in real experience.
March 18–19, 2026
Charlotte
Convention Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
Provocative, grounded perspectives from leaders advancing banking’s next chapter across retail, commercial, and enterprise domains.
Hands-on, practitioner-led sessions breaking down real modernization journeys—from AI readiness and data strategy to product agility and customer value. Designed to turn challenges into clear next steps.
Panels built around lived experience—not trends. Honest conversations on what worked, what didn’t, and the impact achieved.
Real examples of how banks are simplifying operations, externalizing complexity, and building value-driven offerings at scale.
Meet the banking and technology leaders sharing real-world insights at the upcoming Banking Leadership Summit. More speakers to be announced.
The Banking Leadership Summit brings together senior banking leaders to explore how unbound modernization enables speed, transparency, trust, and growth, in an AI-powered era. Over two days, we examine how banks are redefining value for customers and businesses, and how architecture, operating models, and intelligence must evolve to keep pace.
8:30–9:00 AM
Registration, Light Breakfast & Networking
9:00–9:10 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Bhavna Wadhwa & Mike Cook
Zafin
9:10–9:50 AM
Competing on Trust: The New Foundations of Customer & Business Value
Gys Hyman
Deloitte
9:50–10:40 AM
Banking Built Different: The Platform Architecture for
the Next Era
Shahir Daya
Zafin
10:40–11:00 AM
Coffee & Connections Break
11:00–11:45 AM
From Onboarding to Advocacy: Delivering Value Across the Customer Ecosystem
Carson Kotnyek
Zafin
11:45–12:30 PM
Breakout Sessions
Retail Case Study: Launching Relationship‑Centric Offers at Speed
Daniel Goodman
Valley Bank
David Ladic
Zafin
Deposit Intelligence for Smarter Pricing & Growth
Margarita Vacanti
Curinos
Peter Serene
Curinos
Subscription Banking: From Concept to Competitive Advantage
Stephen Popiela
Deloitte
12:30–1:45 PM
Networking Lunch
1:45-2:30 PM
Modernizing Commercial Value: End-to-End Rate Management and Account Analysis
Rebecca DiPasquale
Zafin
Dan Gill
Zafin
2:30–3:15 PM
Breakout Sessions
Modernizing Pricing Governance at Scale
Rebecca DiPasquale
Zafin
Dan Gill
Zafin
Mary Ellen Georgas‑Tellefsen Webster Bank
De‑Risking Campaign Offers Before Launch
Joel Jose
PwC
Hiroyuki Goto
PwC
Travis Zhan
PwC
3:15–3:30 PM
Coffee & Connections Break
3:30-4:15 PM
Al Dominick
Cornerstone Advisors
Peter Serene
Curinos
4:15-4:30 PM
Day One Reflections & Takeaways
Mike Cook
Zafin
4:30 PM Onward
Networking Reception
8:30–9:00 AM
Registration, Light Breakfast & Networking
9:00-9:10 AM
Mike Cook
Zafin
9:10–9:50 AM
Suhas Gudhe
McKinsey
Istvan Rab
McKinsey
9:50–10:35 AM
The AI-Ready Bank: Best practices, integrations and architectures that build trust and usage
Chad Hamblin
Microsoft
Emilie Morin
Zafin
10:35–10:55 AM
Coffee & Connections Break
10:55-11:40 AM
Scaling AI Autonomy in Banking
Panelists
Chad Hamblin
Microsoft
Ranjit Palkar
EY
Andre Mio Bernardo
Safra National Bank
Emilie Morin
Zafin
Moderator
Simon Kalechstein
Zafin
11:40–12:25 PM
The New Growth & Customer Value Agenda
Panelists
Mary Ellen Georgas‑Tellefsen
Webster Bank
John Sellers
Truist
Bernice Chung
Environics Research
Carson Kotnyek
Zafin
Moderator
Bhavna Wadhwa
Zafin
12:25–1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Breakout Sessions
Orchestrating Customer Value Across the Marketing & Engagement Stack
Omar Alami
Deloitte
Optimizing NIM through the Rate Cycle
Geries Moukarzel
Zafin
Disclosure Management: Enabling Growth Without Compromise
Hanif Shariff
Zafin
2:15-3:00 PM
Executing Modernization at Scale
Panelists
Chris Hardwick
US Bank
Andre Mio Bernardo
Safra National Bank
Kerry Karinen
Key Bank
John Bay
Truist
Erin Karabinus
Wells Fargo
Moderator
Steven Reiter
EY
3:00 PM
Closing
Mike Cook
Zafin
“The AI-focused sessions were engaging and highly relevant to today’s challenges.”
“The customer value and loyalty themes sparked meaningful discussion.”
“The discussion on rethinking the banking operating model offered fresh perspectives and real strategic value.”
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