Opal Kelly, Digital Risk Manager at TD Bank addressed avid Culturelink’s IT Security students along with other Cybersecurity enthusiasts from Toronto early last month. Her presentation on Risk Management of Digital Innovation sheds light on the importance and need for different applications and processes to mitigate risks in financial firms. Innovation in FinTech or Financial Technology is essential in today’s day and age where banks are accountable for the monetary assets of the larger population. While that can be extremely beneficial for businesses and customers, it can also bring unintended risk. Opal shared how banks function and handle their compliance risk management processes to ensure that FinTech doesn’t become a tool for frauds, money laundering or to fund criminal organizations.

The professional development session saw a full house of attendees with people getting an opportunity to interact first-hand with an industry expert and learn more about the inner workings of a financial firm. They learned how to utilize digital technology to solve problems and how one should identify, evaluate and prioritize risks in order to minimize, monitor and control them. Additionally, they learned the hierarchy of processes in a risk management team and how a potential risk is tackled.

The students left the session not only with a wealth of new knowledge and information but also with guidance on how to navigate their future careers in Cybersecurity. Undoubtedly, this successful professional development and networking session paved the path for many more to follow.