Michael Versace is a Research Director at IDC Financial Insights, focusing on the Global Risk end-user and technology marketplace. The global risk advisory service covers retail banking, cash and treasury management, payment services, insurance, core corporate banking technologies, and capital markets. This service helps financial institutions make mission-critical decisions on their investments in a variety of risk technologies and advises providers of these technologies on strategies for success in the market. Mr. Versace contributes to the FinTech blogs in the IDC Financial Insights Community His Twitter handle is @versace57. Michael’s 25 year career in financial services has included extensive interactions with central bankers, financial services agencies, corporate and retail banks, investment firms, and the risk technology communities at both an enterprise and industry level. As a risk management practitioner, consultant, industry representative, and analyst, Mr. Versace has the background and experience to bridge a wide range of business and technology challenges facing today’s global risk managers and technology executives. Michael’s experience is drawn from the investment services and banking sectors through positions with Fidelity Investments, the Federal Reserve Banks, including a program of financial infrastructure innovation with the United States Treasury Department Financial Management Service, and BayBanks. At Fidelity investments, Michael was Director in the Corporate Risk Oversight office, responsible for driving improvements in internal and technology control and risk mitigation across institutional investment and brokerage, transfer agent, management, and strategic investment companies. At the Federal Reserve Banks, Michael was part of nationwide leadership team responsible for the design and launch of FEDNET and FedACH, the Federal Reserve Banks payments network and central clearing and settlement hub. While at the Fed, Michael also founded and directed the Emerging Payments System office, working with the United States Treasury, commercial banks, and technology companies to design and prototype Internet and electronic money systems and related risk management policies, rules, and standards. As a management consultant for ZEFER, NEC Global Financial Services, and PwC (formally Coopers and Lybrand), Michael advised clients and led financial solutions design in a variety of risk disciplines, including cash and working capital management, B2B e-commerce, and cyber security. Less   View all posts

Tom Peach is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for North America Commercial of Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich). Mr. Peach has been a long-serving and key member of Zurich's North American Operations team and has extensive insurance knowledge, especially in the area of underwriting and agent/broker automation channels. Mr. Peach joined Zurich North America in 1999. Since that time, he has held various technology and management positions within the organization. Prior to being appointed CIO in 2010, Mr. Peach was the Director of the Underwriting technology solutions team, which focuses on implementing strategic technology solutions across all of Zurich in North America. During this tenure in the underwriting solutions area, Mr. Peach gained expertise in underwriting automation including policy administration, agency upload/download, rating and print technologies. Mr. Peach was an industry pioneer for the distribution of commercial lines through the internet. He also holds two patents for agency automation solutions. As CIO for Zurich North America Commercial, Mr. Peach is responsible for end-to-end delivery of all technology services including application development, infrastructure and desktop services. His technology team is comprised of approximately 1700 team members who are employed by both Zurich and various sourcing partners. In addition to significant work experience in IT, Mr. Peach has an Information Systems Management degree from the University of Maryland. He has also participated in executive course work from Northwestern Kellogg School of Business and the Center for Creative Leadership. Less   View all posts