VIDEO | Scotiabank VP Data and AI Risk: I Am Passionate About People Development

(US and Canada) Anna Hannem, Vice President of Data and AI Risk at Scotiabank, speaks with Subhash Kari, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer at Infocepts, in a video interview, about her work experience, passion for supporting people, and journey towards becoming a data analytics business leader.

Hannem has about 20 years of experience across domains like data, analytics, program and project management, mergers and acquisitions, credit cards, and technology. She started her career in customer service and then moved to more senior roles.

Due to this trajectory, she developed an understanding of customer journeys, how actions in the backend affect the first line of business, and how it all works together. Hannem says that her current role involves monitoring what the first line does from a data and analytics perspective. She states that her educational experience enables her to view the broader impact of data and analytics on the financial institution's most valued asset - its customers, who are also the reason why it exists.

When asked about her passion, Hannem states that she is passionate about people development and coaching, especially when it comes to women in leadership and young people. She regularly reaches out on LinkedIn to offer advice and guidance, particularly to immigrants, who, like herself, often face hardships adjusting to a new country.

Speaking about her journey, Hannem maintains that she thrives on new challenges and opportunities. She originally wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, but life took a twist, and instead, she got into business. However, she feels grateful to be in a space she loves and can contribute to. She also acknowledges that she can apply her learnings from the sciences and her understanding of human behavior in her data ethics and AI risk roles.

Furthermore, Hannem mentions getting an MBA to understand business better. She then developed her soft skills in project management, including negotiation, stakeholder management, relationship management, execution delivery, and change management. She highlights venturing into the male-dominated data management and data governance industry, where she utilized her diverse skills to showcase her technical abilities.

As time passed, Hannem realized the need to understand the revenue side alongside the cost center, which is data. She then dived into analytics and now works with the data ethics team at Scotiabank, developing a new framework that has been instrumental in transforming it into an award-winning program.

Scotiabank looks at data holistically from the customer's perspective, she affirms. Further, with the growing need for data, she is thrilled about her new role in the risk function, which encompasses data analytics and AI. Hannem concludes by stating that with the growing and changing field of data, she is ready to tackle what the future holds - with knowledge and enthusiasm.

CDO magazine appreciates Anna Hannem for sharing her insights and data journey with our global community.