Zafin, a leading financial technology company serving financial institutions of all sizes, is pleased to announce that Chris De Bruin has joined the firm’s Executive Leadership Team as President, Digital Platform.

Chris’s arrival follows a distinguished career with over 18 years of international experience in retail banking and strategy. Most recently, he served as Global Head of Retail Products and Digital at Standard Chartered, where he had oversight of all retail product businesses across 32 countries, as well as all related technology platforms and digital platforms.

He was the key architect and executive sponsor of Standard Chartered’s award-winning digital transformation program across 18 countries. The program helped Standard Chartered increase online sales volumes, increase staff productivity and reduce costs. The quality of innovation under Chris’s leadership has been widely recognized, with Standard Chartered winning numerous awards, including Global Finance’s Best Global Consumer Digital Bank for six consecutive years and a Celent Model Bank award for Omnichannel Banking in 2016.

Previously, de Bruin spent 13 years in senior roles at Standard Chartered across Consumer Banking, Private Banking and Wealth Management throughout Singapore, Korea and Dubai. Prior to joining Standard Chartered, he spent five years with McKinsey as a strategy consultant and co-founded 20twenty Financial Services, a fully online digital bank in South Africa that was acquired by Standard Chartered in 2003.

Based in Zafin’s Toronto office, Chris will be responsible for technology and engineering, Zafin’s digital applications, the development of an application ecosystem and investment in new technologies.

“I’m joining Zafin at a very exciting time in its history,” said de Bruin. “I look forward to driving Zafin’s evolution to a fully digital platform. Unlocking the potential of a complete digital banking ecosystem will deliver tremendous value for our clients.”

Outside of his professional life, de Bruin also is an avid triathlon enthusiast and actively raises funds for charities committed to eradicating preventable blindness. Together with his teams, he has raised more than $1.5 million in donations for Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, Helen Keller International, Orbis, Sightsavers and the Community Chest of Korea.

"I am delighted that Chris has made the decision to join the company," said Al Karim Somji, Founder and Group CEO, Zafin." Chris will be a game changer for the company, and will help open up various options and opportunities in the world of Fintech with his proven track record as an innovator and execution expert in digital banking across diverse geographies."