KARSTEN KLEIN
After two decades working for financial institutions in London and Tokyo, Karsten has deep expertise in financial risk management, operations and systems. He also has extensive experience of building and leading cross-functional teams. Karsten's knowledge of risk analysis and governance, coupled with his industry-leading expertise in blockchain and related security technologies, has proved invaluable to clients across a range of market sectors including the nascent cryptocurrency industry.
Now that cyber attacks across all industries are becoming more frequent and data protection requirements more stringent, the bespoke security solutions, risk management and governance processes that he designs and implements are critical to the success of companies of all sizes. He has recently developed solutions for companies in the retail and services sectors as well as a new cryptocurrency exchange.
Karsten began his career designing next-generation optical devices after completing his PhD in Electronic Engineering. Like many people with strong analytical skills, he was then recruited by a global bank to develop risk mitigation strategies and design debt capital market products. He moved to Japan in 2004 where he applied his engineering and project management skills to implement a risk management plaform for another global bank before moving to a Fortune 500 global insurance company to lead the Variable Annuities systems and operations group.
Karsten has continued with research on emerging technologies throughout his career, with a particular focus on blockchain and cybersecurity. In 2016, he launched an Advisory Services company to help companies assess potential threats and deploy the right processes and systems to protect vital digital assets.
Brief career highlights
Karsten has a PhD in electronic engineering from the University of Cambridge
He also has a BEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of Brighton
He has held roles including:
Founder and CEO of Advisory Services company
Head of VA Systems and Operations Group at a Fortune 500 insurance company
Risk Analyst at three global banks
Research Scientist at two industry-leading Optical Technology companies
Major achievements
Set up operations for new cryto-currency exchange, meeting all international regulatory requirements
Implemented remote working and crisis management solutions for retail and services companies
Built and implemented a risk management platform for a $20bn annuities portfolio
Lead project to merge Japan and Europe finance operations and IT systems for a Fortune 500 company
Data analytics for $2bn Insurance company IPO
Specialist areas
FinTech / Automation
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Crypto-currency ecosystems
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Blockchain solutions - design and implementation
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Robotic process automation
Risk Management / Cyber-security / Governance
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implemention of operational risk frameworks and Cyber-security governance
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GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): training, review, gap analysis, risk assessment, risk mitigation
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assess relevant regulatory requirements and implement compliance processes (KYC, AML, KYT)
Operations
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business process transformation
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project management