V Breakfast Conference

Director of Risk and Financial Advisory at PwC Costa Rica. Leonidas is a professional with more than 25 years of experience in risk, control and audit at internationally recognized companies in the financial and services sectors, which has allowed him to develop solid knowledge of financial analysis, risk and controls, as well as experience in planning and executing consulting projects.

He is a specialist in the financial sector (Banking and Insurance). He was head of the Financial Services risk practice for Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic at another Big Four firm. His relevant responsibilities include: support in the ALM management practice and financial models and simulations.

Developing and adjusting methodologies to quantify and assess credit (IFRS 9), market, liquidity, operational, legal and reputational risks. Audits of banks and insurance companies through reviews of the effectiveness of ERM, AML and IFRS 9. Responsible for consulting projects to assess corporate governance and risk-based internal audit.

Relevant experience:

PwC: Director of Risk and Financial Advisory

Another Big Four: Director of the risk practice for the Financial Services office, from 2020 to 2023. Senior Manager of the risk practice for the Financial Services office, from 2014 to 2020

• Banca Amiga, C.A. Venezuela, Integrated Risk Manager, from 2013 to 2014

• PwC Venezuela, Senior Manager of the risk and financial advisory practice, from 2006 to 2013

• Banco Exterior, C.A. Venezuela, Market Risk / Operational Risk Manager, from 2000 to 2006

Risk Modeling - Capital Markets Advisory Service - PwC. For more than 18 years, Raúl has played a key role as a risk management expert in the financial sector, contributing valuable experience in optimizing profitability and effectively managing the associated risks.

His experience has focused on implementing and refocusing profitability strategies, funding costs through treasury operations and funds transfer pricing, ensuring an efficient allocation of resources and appropriate compensation among the different business units. This has involved a deep understanding of financial markets and the ability to develop sophisticated financial models to assess profitability and risk and to report them properly under different international frameworks such as International Financial Reporting Standards, PCAOB, etc.

As a leader in this field, I have led key projects that include the review and optimization of profitability policies, the identification of areas for improvement in the allocation of costs and benefits, and the implementation of risk management systems tailored to the specific needs of each financial institution. He has been responsible for coordinating the assessment of risk-adjusted profitability, considering factors such as funding cost, credit and market risk, and regulatory requirements. His experience also covers proactive risk management, working with multidisciplinary teams to develop robust policies and procedures that ensure regulatory compliance and resilience to adverse events.

In short, his career as an expert in financial analysis, profitability and risk management has been fundamental to the financial success of the organizations with which I have had the privilege of collaborating, allowing him to develop a deep knowledge of areas critical to strategic decision-making and long-term value creation.

Leader of regional advisory services. Experienced professional in the financial services sector with a 28-year track record in the accounting and consulting industry. He is trained in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Financial Risk Modeling (IFRS 9, BASEL), improvements to Corporate Governance Frameworks, as well as the Transformation of Finance and Treasury areas and of Control and Prevention areas (risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, Comptroller, Operations). He also has strong capabilities in Regulation and Compliance, where he has taken part in drafting laws and regulations (FATCA, CRS, AML, Beneficial Owner).

He is a recognized speaker at conferences and academic activities throughout Latin America and collaborates with Boards of Directors, the IIA, FELABAN and other associations and institutes related to the field of financial services risk management.

Bismark has been involved in projects related to Internal Audit Transformation, ERM framework implementation, Cost Control and Operational Efficiency, Business Plan Formulation, Financial Projections, as well as various work related to financial crime risks, Regulatory Reporting, SOX 404, Financial Risk Models, Credit Scoring, Market and Liquidity Risk Monitoring Engines, Stress Testing and Scenario analysis. In recent years, he has been working on several projects to implement risk monitoring systems through indicators, credit rating systems (implementation, design, validation and calibration), implementation of Basel II and III rules and other regulatory capital adequacy requirements at banks in the region. He has also led relevant investigations and implemented operating models for look-back procedures, KYC, due diligence, risk profiles and AML transaction monitoring.

Bismark was a member of the International Internal Audit Standards Board (IAASB) of the Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA Global) between 2012 and 2016. The IAASB is the body that sets internal audit standards worldwide. Between 2016 and 2019 he was a member of the IIA Global’s Committee of Research and Education Advisors (CREA).

He has served as an independent member and advisor to Boards of Directors and on Risk, Compliance, Audit, Corporate Governance and Credit Committees at banks in Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Financial risk supervision and management. Stephanie is an economist who graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), with a Master’s in Business Administration from Unibe with a concentration in International Finance from Florida International University (FIU). A professional with more than 12 years of experience in financial risk management, she currently serves as deputy director of financial risks at the Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic, supervising the credit, concentration, market and liquidity risks of financial institutions, contributing to the launch of the instructions for internal capital adequacy self-assessment (ICAAP) and the preparation of stress tests at financial intermediation entities, as well as other strategies to safeguard the stability of the financial system and continue strengthening risk management in the Dominican financial system.

He has broad experience at financial system institutions, performing credit risk management and market and liquidity risk management functions, implementing new credit and counterparty risk monitoring practices, as well as new market and liquidity risk assessment indicators at the institutions where he worked in the private financial sector.

He is trained in Risk Management (NCR), Valuation and Risk Analysis in Illiquid Markets, Applied Econometrics, Corporate Governance and Compliance, as well as in the fundamentals of asset and liability management, and enterprise risk.

A graduate of the School of Economics of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), he holds a Master’s in Financial Economics from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s in Mathematics from INTEC. He pursued doctoral studies in Finance (ABD) at the Swiss Finance Institute in Switzerland. He has more than 15 years of experience in multiple areas of the Financial Sector and Financial Consulting, as well as in developing strategies and scaling fintech businesses, especially in digital lending and electronic payment methods. He has also been an Independent Director of various organizations in the technology services, fintech and traditional financial industries. He is currently CFO of the Asociación Popular de Ahorros y Préstamos.

Daniel is a CPA with specialization courses in risk at the LSE. His professional career includes 35 years in banking. First as an auditor and consultant at PwC in the Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and London offices. In his consulting experience he advised banks in Latin America and Western Europe, as well as regulators, on risk management. In banking, he has 18 years of experience as Chief Risk Officer at Banco BHD, Bladex and BanReservas. He has published various articles in specialized magazines such as Risk Magazine and was the founder and president of the Global Risk Managers Association and the Professional Risk Managers International Association in its Argentina chapter. That association distinguished him years ago as one of the 30 most outstanding international risk management professionals.

Risk Assurance. Junot currently leads the Broader Assurance Services (BAS) practice at PwC Dominican Republic and serves as Director in risk, internal audit and internal control services, with more than 20 years of professional experience in various sectors, including the financial sector.

Throughout his career, he has headed numerous projects related to the design and implementation of risk management frameworks based on standards such as COSO and ISO 31000. He has led audits of operational, financial and business processes with a COSO-centered approach, and has managed diagnostic and assessment projects of the internal control system for financial institutions. In addition, Junot has led internal audit transformation initiatives, including the structuring of audit committees and internal audit functions, as well as quality reviews of the internal audit function under IIA standards. He has also carried out projects to adapt the internal control system under Sarbanes-Oxley – SOX 404 for subsidiary companies registered with the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission). His experience covers both the national and international fields, working in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

Junot holds a Master’s in Finance and Banking Risk, is a Certified ISO 31000 Lead Risk Manager (PECB) and Certified Internal Control (IIA / COSO). He is an active member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants.