Firas Jradi - Expert IT Governance & IT Compliance
Experience
Interim Management Group Head of IT Governance & IAM
French-German Private Bank
- Head of the group-wide, international, and cross-functional IT Governance & IAM department within the central IT division of a large French-German private banking group. Disciplinary management of around 30 employees at five different locations within the group (Frankfurt, Paris, Tunis, Saarbrücken, Düsseldorf). Head of IT committees and key role in direct communication with management, the supervisory board, external stakeholders, and regulators.
- Definition and establishment of a state-of-the-art IT strategy process and related IT governance structures for the group's IT department with more than 600 employees (testified by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority and the ACPR) and successful process run.
- Establishment of a new future-oriented process framework for IT and necessary governance structures (process squads) for the continuous improvement of IT processes with regard to new regulatory requirements (including DORA, EU AI Act, etc.).
- Establishment of stringent processes to close a historical backlog of findings (> 100 IT findings, 40 overdue findings in 2022) from internal and external auditors (WP, ACPR, BaFin). Successful reduction of stock of overdue findings to 0 at the end of 2025.
- Supporting more than 20 IT audits per year and establishment of regulatory monitoring processes. Introduction of ServiceNow to revolutionize regulatory change and IT compliance processes with advanced AI functionalities.
- Realignment of IT control processes in conjunction with the newly established ICT risk function under DORA and the three lines of defense concept using the TopEase GRC solution.
- Reduction of the application landscape, by systematically analysing the purpose with application and business owners, identifying duplicates while implementing a One-Tool Strategy throughout the group. Successful reduction of one third of the application landscape within the CMDB.
- Onboarding of all group applications into One Identity's group-wide IAM solution, as well as operation and further development of the solution in connection with segregation of duties (SoD), role-based access management (RBAC), etc.
Management consultant
Public Sector Bank
- Support in developing a future agenda for an IT governance solution (RiMaGo) and a compliance (WpHG, AML) solution (Compliance Suite) in the savings bank financial sector.
- Preparation and conducting of interviews, collection and analysis of documents, drafting of decision-making documents and preparation of documents based on interviews and document review, preliminary coordination with the customer, and presentation of results.
- Consulting and project management in the above-mentioned project.
IT Governance Consultant/Senior Manager
Online Retail Sports Industry
- Development of an IT strategy and support in setting up international IT governance structures for a large online retail platform in the sports industry.
- Support in meeting SOX requirements for an upcoming IPO in the US.
IT Governance Expert
German Automotive Supplier
- Preparation of an IT governance workshop to raise awareness of key elements of effective IT management, definition of IT goals, derivation of framework conditions and measures for operationalizing IT goals.
- Conducting an interactive workshop in English as a face-to-face and remote meeting. Participants included all IT executives in an internationally active German industrial company.
Task Force Leader for IT Controlling
German Public Sector Bank
- Identification, coordination, and implementation of cost reduction approaches in the IT department of a well-known German state bank. Management of a team of six IT controlling experts from various departments of the IT division in task force mode with high relevance to the executive board.
- Moderation and implementation of workshops, stakeholder analyses, hypothesis-based approach, creation and coordination of board documents and presentations.
IT Governance Consultant/Senior Manager
German Development Bank
- Establishment and implementation of IT compliance management processes; BAIT compliance achieved in 2019, ongoing support for the annual audit and closure of various internal audit issues.
- Leading the bank's preparations for ECB supervision with regard to ICT risk, particularly in light of the MaRisk/BAIT amendment – areas of action include IT emergency management, IAM, and information security.
- Supporting the IT governance department in setting up and optimizing overarching governance structures and processes.
- Establishment and operation of an architecture management function: Performing architecture reviews for and supporting the creation of business segment specific target architectures.
- Increasing the maturity of IT strategy and governance processes, as well as improving IT reporting for management with the help of dashboards and key performance indicator systems based balanced scorecards.
- Establishing a comprehensive IT governance framework based on COBIT best practice.
- Training of management and employees in IT governance, COBIT, and relevant topics.
- Redesign of the ICS report for the supervisory board: streamlining, integration of monitoring unit results, and risk-based approach
- Support for the introduction of a group-wide GRC tool.
Sub-project Manager for IT Strategy & Organization
German Public Sector Bank
- Leading two sub-projects in a large IT transformation program based on numerous findings (separation of functions, authorization management, IT risk management, outsourcing management, vulnerability management, etc.) as part of an ECB on-site inspection at a well-known state bank.
- Responsibilities for the sub-project “Organization, Communication, Change Management" included the structural transformation of the entire IT department and supporting the transformation of the entire program with comprehensive change management and communication measures: creating a communication plan at the group level, conducting stakeholder analysis, conducting interviews on the expectations of individual department heads and other stakeholders. Defining, designing, coordinating, and implementing communication measures.
- Leading of the sub-project "IT Strategy" with the aim of further developing the IT Strategy, improving IT Governance instruments to steer IT Goal Achievement (including the system of strategic IT key performance indicators) and ensuring consistency of IT strategies within the group.
Transition Manager
German Development Bank
- Support for a major German development bank during the transition phase of a large-scale transformation project involving the modernization of its finance and risk architecture based on SAP Bank Analyzer AFI.
- Activities included establishing target processes, ensuring compliance with requirements through ICS controls, documenting procedures, and providing operational support to the implementing units.
- In addition, change management activities were carried out and acceptance at the desired level of ambition was coordinated.
Sub-project Manager, Business Analyst for Financial Data Warehousing
Major German Bank
- Leading a team of business analysts with the aim of achieving consistent data management for risk reporting (in accordance with BCBS 239) and regulatory reporting (GroMiKV).
- Integration of group-wide risk master data and connection of core computing data to a financial data warehouse at a major German bank (management, design, testing); technical basis: Sybase, Oracle, Informatica.
- Test and defect management with HP ALM and central error log reporting & control.
- Responsibility for the entire flow of core computing data through to regulatory reporting.
Technology Lead
German Retail Bank
- IT due diligence of a small retail bank (credit, current accounts) for a British private equity company.
- Full IT assessment including the institution's sourcing relationships.
Quality Assurance
German Development Bank
- Review of various technical and procedural concepts as part of the project-accompanying audit of an SAP Bank Analyzer introduction in the accounting department of a well-known German development bank.
Technology Stream Manager
Fintech, Payment Transactions
- Management of the sub-project "Technology + Integration" in a general IT due diligence and focused analysis on the reusability of technical components of a well-known FinTech in the mobile payment sector for the purposes of a joint software project of leading German banks.
Resource Management, Offshore Management, PMO
Swiss Universal Bank
- Supporting management in a large software integration project for payment transactions at an international universal bank in Switzerland (core banking, transactional banking). The Clear2Pay software was integrated into the financial services provider's environment as a payment hub and connected to the delivery systems.
- Management of 40+ offshore developers, 70+ IT experts in the "Development" sub-project, project volume ~CHF 100 million.
IT Management Consultant
German Public Sector Bank
- Strategic realignment of group IT with the aim of achieving lasting high acceptance among group companies and realizing sustainable cost advantages.
- Support in the context of the actual analysis, survey and design of target scenarios, evaluation and decision support, detailed implementation planning and roadmap development.
IT Architect and Business Analyst
Subsidiary of a Large Development Bank
- Support for an EU tendering process at management and board level and creation of specifications for the introduction of a subledger for financial instruments based on SAP BA AFI for HGB and IFRS as well as SAP BW for data storage.
- Analysis of the current financial, risk, and controlling architecture and target architecture design, stakeholder analysis, targeted interviews/workshops to gather requirements.
- Management decision support on SAP Bank Analyzer architecture issues.
Quality Assurance
German Development Bank
- Review of various technical and procedural concepts as part of the project-accompanying audit of an SAP Bank Analyzer introduction in the accounting department of a well-known German development bank.
- Review of project and test management activities, target processes, and coordination framework.
Project Manager and Test Manager
German Development Bank
- Coordination of IDV testing activities in the accounting department of a well-known development bank as part of a company-wide software migration; strategic and audit-proof design, implementation, and management of software tests; further rollout support.
- Testing of 180 IDVs from the finance and controlling department.
IT Auditor
Major Italian Bank
- IT audit (GITC & process controls) in accordance with MaRisk and FAIT at a major Italian bank.
Specialist Analyst
Building Society of a Major Bank
- Development of an internal control system for the mortgage bond business of a major bank based on the COSO framework, including comprehensive compliance analyses and process risk identification.
IT Consultant
Container Terminal Manager
- Analysis and optimization of load problems in the IT infrastructure of the Container Terminal Manager.
- Major impact of IT failures on the entire port; Microsoft technology, Dynamics NAV, .NET Dev.
Project Manager and Java Developer
Consulting Company
- Design and development of a security monitoring solution for SAP infrastructures as middleware between the SAP Security Audit Log and common security information event management (SIEM) software on the market.
- Insights into the basic SAP architecture, interface programming with BAPIs and XMI, and SIEM.
IT & Management Consultant
IT Provider for German Banks
- Design and implementation of IT management and governance tools for MaRisk compliance based on ITIL best practices at a major German IT provider for the cooperative banking sector.
- Complexity drivers: Proprietary core banking system bank21 and complex legacy host environment.
Web Technology Developer & Software Engineer
Major French Bank in the UK
- Maintenance and development of software applications, reports, and management tools for group-wide international IT service management based on ITIL best practice.
- Optimization of IT service management processes for corporate and investment banking.
- Internal award for the automation of the SLA creation process.
Project Manager
German Consumer Bank
- Process mapping, optimization, and design of an automated performance benchmarking system for the lending processes of a leading German consumer credit bank.
- Evaluation of the component-based process modeling method PICTURE.
Industry Experience
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Experienced in Banking and Finance, Information Technology, Retail, Sport, and Professional Services.
Business Area Experience
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Experienced in Information Technology, Strategy, Project Management, Audit, Finance, and Business Intelligence.
Summary
With more than 14 years of experience in technology and management consulting, IT management, and entrepreneurship within the financial services industry, the candidate specializes in defining strategies and establishing robust governance structures that balance risk management and value creation in a highly regulated digital environment. He brings extensive hands-on experience with industry standards (e.g. COBIT, ITIL) and regulatory frameworks (including DORA and MaRisk), with a proven track record in BAIT compliance, DORA implementations, and the remediation of supervisory and audit findings. He speaks four languages, holds a Master’s degree from the University of Münster, and is a committed lifelong learner. A clear and engaging communicator, he combines an entrepreneurial mindset with a strong passion for Information Technology and the future of financial services.
Skills
- It Governance & It Strategy
- It Compliance (Dora / Marisk / Eba Gl / Bait / Cra ..)
- It Risks And Controls
- It Security
- It Assessments
- Top Management It Overview & Communication
- Leadership, Organization & Change
Languages
Education
University of Muenster, Aix-Marseille III
Master of Science, Information Systems · Information Systems · Aix-en-Provence, France
University of Muenster
Bachelor of Science, Information Systems · Information Systems · Münster, Germany
Certifications & licenses
ICT Manager Digital Operational Resilience Act
VöB
Microsoft Security Virtual Training: Zero Trust
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
IT Strategy For Banking
VöB
COBIT Foundation Certificate
ISACA
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) I
FS252 – Risk Management In Banking Services From SAP 8.0
Finance Transformation Basics
KPMG
SAP Certified Associate: Analytical Banking In Banking Services From SAP 8.0
KPMG
FS253 – Bank Analyzer Infrastructure In Banking Services From SAP 8.0
FS251 – Accounting For Financial Instruments With Banking Services From SAP 8.0
Foundation Based On ISO/IEC 27002
Accounting And Financial Analysis
KPMG
Microsoft Dynamics Certified Technology Specialist
Microsoft NAV 2009 C/SIDE Introduction Certificate
ISO/IEC 20000 ITSM Foundation
ITIL V3 Foundation
Accounting Software And Presentation Skills
Statistics
Experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
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