Meet the WCBI Contributors
From the Institute
Paul Denton has over 35 years 'experience in financial services. He has held a number of senior roles at RBS, NatWest and Co-operative Bank and has been the Chief Executive of Scottish Building Society since 2019.
He joined the Institute as a member in 1988 completing the professional qualifications of the time (Associate / Members).
Paul is proud to have been a Chartered Banker since its launch in 2000, a Fellow since 2004 and a Trustee since 2021.
He also has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and a BA (Hons) from Abertay University.
Paul is a member of the FCA Small Business Practitioner Panel, a member of UK Finance Mortgage Board and a Pension Trustee for the Building Societies Association.
With over 38 years of experience in financial services, John Last has dedicated his career to driving organizational excellence and shaping leadership cultures across global markets. Throughout his tenure, he has held senior executive positions at some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions, including Coutts & Co, NatWest, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and HSBC.
Currently serving as the Group Head of Leadership at HSBC, John focuses on cultivating high-performance environments and developing the next generation of strategic leaders for an AI era. His approach blends deep industry expertise with a commitment to continuous learning and evidence-based organizational development.
Beyond his corporate responsibilities, John is deeply engaged in the professional advancement of the industry. He currently serves as the Vice Chair and Chair-Designate of the Chartered Banker Institute. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (FCIPD), a Fellow and Chartered Banker (FCBI), and a Chartered Manager (CMgr CCMI). As a Certified Bank Board Director and an Executive Coach (MSc, PCC), he leverages his academic background - which includes a Master’s degree from Henley Business School in Coaching & Behavioural Change - to guide boards and executives through complex transformations. He is currently pursuing a professional doctorate with a focus on how leaders can create sustainable organisational value that transcends individual performance.
Matt Rawlings is an experienced leader in membership and engagement, currently serving as Director of Education and Membership Engagement, with over 30 years of experience in the banking sector. His career spans delivering high-impact transformation programmes and developing a deep understanding of customer relationships, value delivery, and organisational growth, expertise he now brings to the membership environment.
With a strong focus on education and professional development, Matthew leads the strategic design and delivery of programmes that support lifelong learning across the banking profession. He is passionate about ensuring education remains relevant, accessible, and aligned to evolving industry needs, helping individuals build capability, confidence, and ethical practice throughout their careers.
Specialising in creating data-informed strategies that drive retention, engagement, and long-term value. He has a particular interest in the full membership lifecycle, from acquisition and onboarding through to engagement and reactivation, and in aligning organisational purpose with member needs.
Known for combining strategic thinking with practical delivery, Matthew helps organisations turn insight into action. At this conference, he brings a fresh perspective on how education, engagement, and community can come together to build sustainable, member-focused organisations
Tanya Retter is the Chief Executive of the Chartered Banker Institute. Joining the Institute in 2023, Tanya has played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the Institute’s current strategic vision. Tanya now leads the Institute’s efforts to raise professional standards across the banking sector, ensuring that education, ethics, and lifelong learning remain at the heart of a responsible and future-ready profession.
With over two decades of experience in financial services, Tanya brings deep expertise in leadership development, digital transformation, and customer and employee experience – skills developed during her time in senior roles at NatWest and RBS. She is instrumental in driving the Institute’s global education strategy, overseeing the design and delivery of qualifications and professional development programmes that support the evolving needs of banks, regulators, and individuals.
Tanya represents the Institute on the Chartered Body Alliance, which she represents on the Financial Services Skills Commission (FSSC), where she is contributing to the national policy discussions on skills. Tanya also chairs sector roundtables, championing innovation and inclusion in banking and is a prominent voice in the sector through her podcasts, seminars, and keynote speaking engagements.
A certified SAFe 5 Agilist and Executive Coach, Tanya is committed to embedding agile thinking and ethical leadership across the profession.
From our Global Network
Uldis Cerps is a senior financial risk professional with over 30 years of experience in leadership, executive, and non-executive roles across central banking, regulation, and financial market infrastructure. He currently serves as CEO of Finance Latvia Association, the leading financial sector advocacy organisation in Latvia, and is a member of the European Banking Federation’s Executive Committee.
Previously, Uldis was the first Chair of Latvia’s Financial and Capital Market Commission, where he contributed to Latvia’s EU accession process and financial market regulatory alignment. He has also served as Executive Director for Banking Supervision at the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, representing it at the Basel Committee and the European Banking Authority. More recently, he advised the Governor of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates on financial stability, supervision and regulatory policy.
Fatma Dirkes is Vice President and Head of Executive & Professional Education at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. She leads global initiatives in executive learning, leadership development, and professional education, with a strong focus on lifelong learning, sustainable finance, and digital innovation.
Since joining Frankfurt School in 2003, she has held several senior leadership positions and has overseen international education and advisory projects in more than 90 countries in collaboration with institutions including the EU, EIB, EBRD, ADB, AfDB, and KfW.
Fatma Dirkes served as President of the European Banking and Financial Training Association (EBTN) from 2020 to 2024 and continues to support the network as an active member. Prior to joining Frankfurt School, she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG.
Stuart Haire is currently Group Chief Executive of the Skipton Group. He is working to modernise the business and make it even more relevant for existing and new members as they consider their longer-term financial needs and housing aspirations. He is striving to lead the conversation in tackling the housing crisis, using his voice to influence housing policy and create greater access to financial support.
Stuart originally graduated from The University of Glasgow with a First Class Degree in Physics and Electronic Engineering. He is married with two sons, enjoys playing sports in his spare time and lives in Scotland.
where she has served for almost 25 years, advancing the professional development of
Jamaica’s financial services sector. She has led significant organisational transformation,
introduced international certification programmes across the Caribbean, and strengthened
strategic partnerships locally and internationally. She is a John Maxwell Leadership Team
member and was named Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ)
Member of the Year in 2007. Darlene currently serves on the Board of the Tax Administration
of Jamaica.. She is Deputy Chair of New Generation Ministries and a member of Choose Life
International’s special projects team, where she co-chairs the World Suicide Prevention Day
Seminar Planning Committee. Her career reflects a passion for human resource development,
leadership, and service, guided by her mission to positively impact lives. She is married with
four daughters and two granddaughters.
Dr. Paul C. D. Lei is a seasoned banking executive and economist with a distinguished record of leadership in Taiwan and significant engagement in the international financial community. He has chaired major financial institutions, including Mega Financial Holdings, Mega International Commercial Bank, Taiwan Cooperative Holdings, and Taiwan Cooperative Bank, where his guidance strengthened governance, risk management, and sustainable growth.
Beyond corporate leadership, Dr. Lei has shaped national financial policy and industry development as Executive Director of the Central Bank of the R.O.C., Chairman of the Bankers Association of Taiwan, Trust Association of Taiwan, and Central Deposit Insurance Corporation. His international experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, advancing regional cooperation and financial stability.
Renowned for his strategic insight, pragmatic leadership, and collaborative approach, Dr. Lei has consistently promoted innovation, knowledge sharing, and capacity building across the financial sector. He also became an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Banker Institute in 2025. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University, and both a Master’s and Bachelor’s in International Trade from National Chengchi University, Taiwan, combining rigorous academic training with decades of practical experience.
Dr. Abdel Aziz Nossier is the Executive Director of the Egyptian Banking Institute, the training arm of the Central Bank of Egypt, where he leads initiatives focused on leadership development, governance, future skills, and capability building across the banking sector in Egypt and Africa.
Under his leadership, EBI significantly expanded its regional footprint from 8 to 44 African countries and now serves more than 200,000 beneficiaries annually. Dr. Nossier is a Board Member of Industrial Development Bank and Chairman of its Strategy Committee.
He also serves on the Board of EBTN – The European Banking & Financial Services Training Association. He holds a DBA, an MA from the The American University in Cairo, and completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
Ken is the Deputy Chief Executive of the Institute of Banking (A Recognised College of UCD), President of The European Banking & Financial Services Training Association (EBTN), a Member of the National Implementation Committee for the Future Skills for International Financial Service and a Council Member of The Global Banking Education Standards Board.
Ken is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, Fellow of the Institute of Banking and completed his chartered accounting training with PwC. He graduated from University College Cork with a BComm Degree and from University College Dublin with an MBS in Financial Services Degree. Ken lectures in UCD at postgraduate and executive education levels as an associate member of the faculty. Ken has extensive international financial reporting and financial management teaching and examining experience at undergraduate, postgraduate, executive education levels and on various international professional accounting education programmes (CAI, ACCA, CPA, CIMA) for over 30 years. He is an external examiner with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and is a former accounting and finance lecturer at the University of Limerick.
Ken was the former General Manager for business banking, corporate banking and institutional banking with Danske Bank for Ireland, National Australia Bank for Ireland and was a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee. Ken was the Head of the business credit team at the Central Bank of Ireland and led the CBI credit and asset quality interaction with the Troika during 2010 -2012 and was responsible for the delivery of the credit-related projects.
Professor Dr. Manivanan Saman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Banking School (ABS), a premier institution affiliated with Bank Negara Malaysia and dedicated to advancing talent and leadership development for the banking and financial services industry across Asia. With more than 28 years of international leadership experience spanning higher education, executive education, banking capability development, and institutional transformation, he is widely recognised for driving strategic innovation, digital learning ecosystems, and future-ready workforce initiatives.
Under his leadership, ABS is spearheading major regional initiatives in AI-enabled learning, digital credentialing, sustainability leadership, and banking transformation through its next-generation digital platform, ABSNEXLEARN. Professor Dr. Manivanan actively collaborates with global banking institutes, regulators, universities, and industry leaders across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to strengthen professional standards, leadership capability, and talent resilience in the age of digital transformation and AI.
Olga Ushakova is Head of Customer Experience at PUMB Bank (Ukraine), with more than 20 years of experience in the banking and financial services sector, including over 6 years specialising in customer experience, customer operations, and service transformation.
Her professional expertise includes developing customer experience as a mature and systematically managed function within a financial organisation, customer research, customer journey analysis, service design, management of CX metrics, and the implementation of customer-centric transformation initiatives.
In recent years, her professional focus has centred on customer trust, ethical AI, responsible use of customer data, and the impact of unstable and high-stress environments in Ukraine on customer behaviour and financial decision-making.
Currently based in Scotland, she is actively exploring how global instability, accelerating change, and evolving customer expectations are reshaping customer-centric and responsible banking within the modern financial sector.
From the University
Brad is the Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal for International Strategy and External Relations, working closely with the Principal and other members of the senior management team shaping the University strategy and is responsible for developing and managing strategic relationships locally, nationally and internationally. Brad MacKay is Professor of Strategy in the University of St Andrews Business School.
Dr Eleonora Sfrappini is a Lecturer in Finance at the University of St Andrews Business School and a member of the Centre for Responsible Banking and Finance. She received her PhD from the University of Magdeburg and the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) in Halle, Germany. Her research was awarded grants by the French Social Investment Forum, the Principles for Responsible Investment and the Lamfalussy Fellowship by the European Central Bank and was recently nominated as one of the finalists for the ECB Young Economist Prize. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of banking, climate finance and financial regulation.
Professor John Wilson leads the Department of Finance at the University of St Andrews Business School. He is also Director of the Centre for Responsible Banking & Finance. He holds influential editorial roles across major finance journals and shapes academic standards through his work with the Chartered Association of Business Schools and Research Evaluation Framework. Professor Wilson's expertise in banking and finance informs his advisory work with international financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and governments, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority, South African Reserve Bank, and various European banking organisations.
Professor O’Brien has a particular interest in the interrelationship of politics and grand strategy, and how these help shape both peacetime and wartime strategic policy. Professor O’Brien has spent much of his career looking at how individuals at the top of decision-making structures both try to make decisions and are at the same time influenced by the structures that they are trying to control. Though much of his earlier research has focused on grand strategy making in the Second World War, he has become increasingly interested in how these processes work during 21st century warfare. Professor O’Brien also has an interdisciplinary interest in how strategic studies and management studies discuss strategy, and what the disciplines can learn from each other.
Marcel is the Vice Dean Executive Education and Senior Lecturer in Banking and Finance at the University of St Andrews. Marcel’s research explores consumer financial decision-making, financial technology, and financial education, with particular emphasis on behavioural aspects of spending and saving. A policy advisor to government bodies and financial regulators, Dr Lukas shapes financial education initiatives and serves as a Fellow at the Office for National Statistics.
He leads executive education programmes on AI applications in business and finance, bringing valuable industry experience from his previous roles at Volkswagen and IBM to his academic and advisory work.