Meet
Serena Joseph
MA (Oxon), Fellow Compliance Institute (Now Incorp. into CISI), ACIB, SMF10, SMF12
Serena Joseph is a Senior Associate at Elevate BC, a expert strategic consultant with an extensive background in developing governance, regulatory frameworks and more in Corporate Banking and Financial Services.
Serena Joseph
Senior Associate, Governance and Compliance Expert
Key specialisms
- Governance
- Regulatory Frameworks
- Financial Services Compliance
- Authorisations and CIC’s
- FS – SM&CR
- Consumer Duty
- Conduct Risk
- Process Redesign
- Operational Risk
- Board Effectiveness Reviews
- Board Skills Evaluations (Board Skills Diagnostics)
Serena’s Background
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU ARE IN NOW?
From my formative corporate banking roles at Barclays which culminated in reconfiguring the UK branch network and enabling automation, I moved into banking strategy consulting and then a project at the SIB.
I discovered a love of governance, regulatory frameworks and process design and built this into a career path. I combined this with my enthusiasm for building businesses that really work – establishing the financial services regulatory advisory practices for KPMG, EY and Mazars before setting up my own practices from 2008.
WHAT DRIVES YOU?
Steering clients to successful outcomes. Mitigating the risks of regulatory sanction!
WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS?
- MA (Oxon)
- Fellow Compliance Institute (now incorporated into CISI)
- ACIB
- SMF10
- SMF12.
WHAT ARE YOUR SECTOR SPECIALISMS?
Banking (not wholesale/investment) and mutual organisations (building societies, friendly societies and protection providers), lending organisations, retail investment and asset management. Fintechs. Sharia.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN?
English
Basic French.
WhAT ATTRACTED YOU TO Elevate BC?
Opportunity to work with high calibre colleagues as part of a team with a clear focus and set of values.
Bringing specialist advisory skills to support the wider business context enabling Boards to navigating regulatory requirements successfully through a supportive approach that up-skills the permanent team and provides commercial benefit.
THE PERSON OUTSIDE OF WORK
SPORTS & EXERCISE (Physical well-being)
Rambling with dogs. Currently between boats…
CHARITY WORK
Founding member of GAIN
Supporter of Action for Children and St. Mungo’s.
NED Roles?
ICICI, a leading Indian Bank where I am Chair of Governance (Remuneration) Committee and Chair of Conduct Risk Committee, and member of the Audit Committee, Risk Committee and Credit Committee. Also appointed as the INED Consumer Duty Champion.
Kroo Bank, a challenger who recently gained their full Banking Licence where I operate as Chair of Risk and member of Audit Committee and Nominations & Remuneration Committee. Appointed as INED Consumer Duty Champion.
WHAT’S LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK LIKE FOR YOu?
- Vice-Chair of the Membership Committee of the In and Out.
- Breed Labrador retrievers
- Dedicated gardener with sustainable wildlife garden
- Family – children 22 (at university) and 18 (U6); cousin and two “nearly grandchildren” of 10 and 8 living north of Lincoln with lots of dogs
FAVOURITE BOOK & WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT?
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read to me on my 7th birthday by my mother, as her mother had read it to her on her 7th birthday. And I read it to my children starting when they were 7. Mary’s childhood in India and being shipped home as an orphan was my grandmother’s childhood; Mary’s healing from that trauma through knowing the secret garden resonated with my earliest memories of helping my grandfather and father to garden and recognising myself the physical meditation and peace it brings.
FAVOURITE FOOD & WHY ?
Tiramisu – a secret recipe finally shared by our Italian and German friends who ran the Villa di Monte Solare when it was starting out as an agritourism hotel.
Subsequently became the name of our first boat (power, not sail – I’d had enough of being stranded as a child in Devon!) and the start of many voyages in the Solent area, culminating in qualifying as on Offshore Powermaster, and lots of fun in the Windy-Draco Boat Club with an amazing group of friends: really cherished times.
FAVOURITE BAND / SINGER ?
Band – Procol Harum, or maybe Cowboy Junkies..
Singer – Paul McCartney – our daughters were friends at school and judo partners and he is the most unassuming and gentle man – Hey Jude is a favourite of mine.
In Detail
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