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General Session: Executive Risk Panel: Balancing AI Innovation, Operational Resilience, and Credit Risk

02:30 PM - Monday, September 14
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In today’s fast-paced credit landscape, success requires perfect alignment between operational agility and prudent risk management. Lending institutions face a complex environment marked by macroeconomic shifts, changing consumer behaviors, and pressure to optimize the entire credit lifecycle. For executives—whether overseeing risk, operations, or credit strategy—the core challenge remains: how to drive sustainable business growth without compromising portfolio health.

This executive panel brings together senior leaders from across the lending ecosystem to discuss the strategic priorities shaping the industry. The conversation will focus heavily on the transformative power of Advanced Analytics, Machine Learning, and Generative AI, examining how these technologies fundamentally alter daily workflows—from automating originations and streamlining underwriting to maximizing portfolio management efficiency.

However, scaling innovation requires a robust foundation. The panel will address the critical governance, compliance, and operational controls necessary to deploy AI responsibly and transparently. Beyond the technology, these leaders will share their playbooks for managing current industry headwinds, combating sophisticated fraud, and maintaining institutional resilience in a volatile market.

Speakers

Lora Paglia

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Lora Paglia
SVP & Chief Risk Officer, Tangerine

Lora is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Tangerine, Canada’s leading challenger bank. She oversees Tangerine’s operations, strategic delivery and analytics teams. With a background in risk management and analytics, Lora previously served as Tangerine’s CRO. She is a results-oriented leader skilled in driving performance, innovation, and building high-performing teams. Her current mandate focuses on scaling personalization, enhancing productivity, and delivering award-winning customer experiences using AI and cloud-native technologies.

Andres Masmela

Andres Masmela
TD Bank

Rebecca Oakes

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Rebecca Oakes
VP, Advanced Analytics, Equifax Canada

Rebecca Oakes is the Vice President of Advanced Analytics at Equifax Canada. She is a seasoned analytics professional with over 15 years’ experience in building and leading high performing analytical teams. Prior to joining Equifax Canada, Rebecca held several senior leadership positions in the UK. Rebecca has a wealth of experience in driving business value from data and analytics across multiple industries including Financial Services, Utilities & Retail.

Sandi Burns

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Sandi Burns
Chief Risk Officer, Manulife Bank of Canada

Sandi is the Chief Risk Officer with Manulife Bank. She is a passionate people leader, finding success in building teams who work together towards common goals. She drives change through collaboration and communication and finds creative ways to get to a solution. She has
been with Manulife Bank for the past 19 years working in Operations and Residential Lending prior to joining the Global Risk organization.

Sandi received her BA from Acadia University and graduate degree from the University of Calgary. Sandi is solutions driven and feels understanding the why behind a decision is vital to success.  She understands the benefits of clear and

effective communication to drive positive and impactful change.