Resilience at the top

Sapna Patel

Chief Information Security Officer - King's Trust

Sapna is a technology leader with experience across banking and the charity sector. She began her career as a full stack analyst and developer before leading large-scale transformation programmes at Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is now Head of Cyber Security at The King’s Trust, where she built the cyber security function from the ground up. Sapna also serves as a board advisor and trustee, supporting organisations on digital transformation, cyber security, AI, IT strategy and governance, risk, and organisational growth.

Arthur Leung

Chief Technology Officer - Shawbrook Bank

Arthur Leung is Chief Technology Officer at Shawbrook Bank, overseeing all digital and technology initiatives across the organisation. He is responsible for the scalable, adaptive technology foundations that underpin Shawbrook’s “best of both” model and enable the bank to move quickly whilst maintaining operational security and resilience. Arthur joined Shawbrook in 2022 as Chief Product Officer, bringing 15+ years of leadership experience across fintech, global banking and consulting. Prior to Shawbrook, he held senior roles across payments fintech Curve, 11:FS Foundry, and most recently running the product & engineering team in Advent International. As CTO, Arthur leads major programmes including a complete redesign of Shawbrook’s Savings customer platform, and the launch of a new core banking platform. His remit also spans cyber security, cloud engineering and data/infrastructure platforms, aligning product, tech, risk and governance in a bank that ships with agility in a regulated environment.

Munawar Valiji

Chief Information Security Officer - Close Brothers

Mun is a seasoned security leader with twenty-five years of enabling digital businesses by driving critical initiatives that secure and protect the enterprise. Developing and implementing customer-centric robust and defensible multi-sector cybersecurity and privacy programs. Extensive Board, Exec and Audit & Risk Committee engagement and assurance with deep IT Controls and audit expertise. Hands-on exposure to big brand enterprises with continuous adoption of cloud, hybrid workforce, rapid emergence and use of generative AI (GenAI) and the evolving regulatory landscape.

John Crichton

Chief Information Officer - Gallagher Re

John Crichton is Chief Information Officer at Gallagher Re, where he leads global technology strategy across the reinsurance business. He sits at the intersection of technology, risk and commercial performance, shaping how platforms, data and AI are governed in a complex, regulated environment. John has spent the majority of his career in senior technology leadership roles within reinsurance, including over 15 years at Willis Re and as CIO at Guy Carpenter. Across these roles, he has led large-scale digital transformation programmes, modernised core platforms and introduced data and analytics capabilities at scale. He is known for driving complex change with clear business outcomes, balancing innovation with control, and building high-performing teams that deliver technology with discipline and purpose.