Board Member & Advisory
Financial Services Executive | Technology & AI Governance Leader
Banking Operations Strategist | Risk & Regulatory Oversight Advisor
David Fapohunda is a senior financial services executive with more than 26 years of leadership across technology, operations, risk, and enterprise transformation at global financial institutions including Barclays, PwC, and Citi. He brings deep expertise in digital banking, information technology, cybersecurity, AI governance, regulatory compliance, and financial crime oversight, helping boards navigate complex operational, technology, and regulatory challenges while driving sustainable growth and resilience.
How David Helps
Focused board and advisory support across the areas that matter most in regulated, digital banking.
Technology and Digital Transformation
Advising boards on core banking modernization, cloud transformation, payments infrastructure, and enterprise technology strategies that strengthen resilience, scalability, and long-term competitive advantage.
Cybersecurity and Operational Resilience
Providing oversight on cybersecurity, operational resilience, privacy, and enterprise risk management by integrating technology, fraud, and security frameworks that align with evolving regulatory expectations.
AI and Data Governance
Helping organizations establish responsible AI governance, operational controls, monitoring frameworks, and enterprise-wide strategies for the safe adoption of generative AI and emerging technologies.
Regulatory and Compliance Oversight
Supporting executive teams and boards through regulatory examinations, governance programs, and compliance initiatives across U.S., U.K., and international banking environments, including consumer banking regulations and enterprise risk management.
Financial Crime and Risk Management
Strengthening fraud prevention, BSA/AML programs, financial crime controls, and operational risk frameworks through modern technology, advanced analytics, and enterprise governance.
Third-Party Risk and Banking Partnerships
Advising on vendor governance, third-party risk management, operating models, and strategic partnerships that support secure, compliant, and scalable banking operations.
Governance & Board-Level Value
Areas of Advisory
Banking Technology and Digital Innovation
Providing strategic oversight of technology investments, cloud transformation, digital banking platforms, payments modernization, and enterprise operational excellence.
Information Security and Cyber Risk
Helping boards strengthen cybersecurity governance, information security strategy, operational resilience, and technology risk management aligned with leading industry frameworks.
AI Governance and Emerging Technology
Guiding organizations in developing governance structures, ethical AI frameworks, data oversight, and responsible innovation that balance opportunity with regulatory expectations.
Regulatory, Audit, and Enterprise Risk
Supporting board oversight across regulatory engagement, audit readiness, internal controls, examiner relationships, and enterprise governance for highly regulated financial institutions.
Financial Crime, Fraud, and Operational Controls
Advising on fraud prevention, AML programs, financial crime strategy, operational controls, and enterprise risk management that improve resilience while protecting customers and institutions.
Board Director Biography
David Fapohunda is a senior financial services executive with 26 years of leadership across technology, operations, risk, and enterprise transformation at global Tier-1 institutions, including Barclays, PwC, and Citi. His experience centers on the disciplines most relevant to the oversight of a digital, FDIC-insured bank: information technology and cybersecurity, cloud and platform modernization, AI and data governance, regulatory and examiner engagement, BSA/AML and financial crime, and third-party and vendor risk.
As a Managing Director at Barclays, David led operations strategy, transformation, and AI enablement across Corporate and Consumer Banking and Payments. He built and operationalized the bank’s Generative AI Center of Excellence, consolidated 24 legacy servicing systems into four cloud-native platforms, and established AI governance practices spanning observability, monitoring, and control by design. As interim Head of U.S. Consumer Banking Operations, he led a 6,000-person organization with a $1.25B budget across deposits, lending, and cards, lifting platform resiliency to 99.99% uptime and representing Operations in board sessions and regulatory examinations.
Earlier, at PwC, David advised Fortune 500 financial services and technology clients on operating model redesign, control architecture, cybersecurity, and consent order remediation, and directed forensic response to major fraud and AML incidents at global banks. At Citi, he led an enterprise fraud transformation that reduced digital and card fraud losses by $30M and built risk frameworks for EMV, tokenized wallets, and emerging payments, after rising through core banking technology and M&A integration roles.
David engages the U.S. regulatory landscape across OCC, state banking departments including NYDFS, and FDIC-aligned supervision, the BSA/AML and FinCEN financial-crime regime, and the consumer protection rules governing Reg Z, Reg E, Reg CC and DD, UDAP, and FCRA, operating within FFIEC and NIST-aligned control environments.
He serves as a Trustee of The Putney School and is a frequent speaker at Money20/20, BAI, and the American Bankers Association. He holds a degree in Finance and Information Systems from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and is based in the New York metropolitan area.
“Strong governance requires boards that understand technology as deeply as finance—balancing innovation, cybersecurity, regulatory accountability, and operational resilience to create sustainable value and lasting trust.”
David FapohundaManaging Director | Financial Services Technology, Risk & Operations Executive