North America's most influential banking and payments event

Linda Tai is the Chief Information Officer at M&T Bank, where she oversees enterprise application delivery across a broad and growing portfolio. Her leadership spans Consumer & Business Banking, Digital Technology, Financial Crimes and Identity, Enterprise Architecture and Integration, Commercial, Wealth, Institutional Client Services (ICS), Payments, Enterprise Data, and Treasury. With over 25 years of experience in digital transformation within highly regulated financial environments, Linda has held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s top financial institutions, including Fannie Mae, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs. Before joining M&T Bank, Linda served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Fannie Mae, where she spearheaded innovative technology strategies to enhance business capabilities. Her prior roles include Managing Director and Global Head of Architecture and Engineering at Bank of America and Managing Director of Service Engineering at Goldman Sachs. Linda is widely recognized for her ability to lead high-performing teams, drive large-scale cloud migrations, and implement advanced automation frameworks. She is also a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech industry. She holds a Master of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Master of Arts in Music from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Ignacio Sarquis is a technology leader recognized for driving large-scale digital transformation in the banking industry. Since March 2021, he has served as Chief Information Officer of Santander Bank, leading the vision and execution of innovation-driven programs that align with Santander’s global strategy and accelerate the Bank’s growth in the U.S.

During his 14+ years at Santander, Ignacio has spearheaded some of the organization’s most ambitious technology initiatives. He oversaw the launch of a next-generation digital platform designed for scale, agility, and rapid innovation, empowering Santander to meet evolving customer needs in a highly competitive market. He also led the successful go-live of Gravity, the Bank’s U.S. core modernization initiative, which migrated its core system to the cloud as part of the multi-year Horizon Program.

These milestone projects have positioned Santander as a technology-forward financial institution and underscore Ignacio’s pivotal role in shaping the future of banking.

Ignacio earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires and an MBA from Hult International Business School. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and continues to champion innovation, operational excellence, and technology’s role in driving sustainable business growth.

Kristin Milchanowski Chief AI and Data Officer Kristin Milchanowski is the Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Officer for BMO Financial Group. She leads the AI and Data team and is a member of BMO’s Technology and Operations (T&O) Executive Committee. Kristin is responsible for driving BMO’s AI, data, analytics, and robotics strategies and supporting technologies, championing a transformative AI roadmap to accelerate BMO’s Digital First strategy. She also focuses on data management and data governance across the organization, deepening the bank’s robust and established culture of innovation and accountability. Kristin is a global AI executive with more than 20 years of experience, mostly in the financial sector, who has transformed businesses by leveraging the full potential of their data and technology. Most recently, she was a Global Innovation Partner / Principal at EY, leading their Global Lab focused on AI, High Process Computing and Quantum technologies. Before consulting, Kristin was a Chief Data Scientist at Morgan Stanley, as well as former head of Global Financial Crimes Compliance Technology and Model Management at JP Morgan. Kristin is a sought-after thought leader specializing in AI and bio-facial recognition, and has expertise in using cutting edge analytics to exploit illicit networks, such as money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud cells and drug/human trafficking. Kristin is an AI Associate Fellow of the University of Oxford, where she completed post-doctoral studies in AI and holds a PhD in Decision Sciences. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. Outside of BMO, Kristin sits on the foundation board of Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. She is a licensed race car driver and was formerly a board member of Lamborghini. She also wrote and illustrated a children’s book, Tell Me Henry, to advocate for more diversity in children’s literature.

Ben Hoffman Executive Vice President Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Consumer Products Ben Hoffman serves as chief strategy officer and head of consumer products at Fifth Third Bank, N.A. As strategy officer, he oversees strategic planning, governance and strategic risk management. As head of consumer products, he is responsible for deposits, credit cards, unsecured lending, product and marketing analytics, and the online and mobile experiences for Fifth Third’s consumer and small business clients. Ben joined the Bank in March 2016 as head of corporate strategy, fintech, customer experience and digital lending. Before that, Ben spent over a decade in consulting as a partner in the financial services practice at Oliver Wyman. There, he advised leading banks and other financial institutions both in the U.S. and globally. Education Ben earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University. Professional and Civic Ben serves as a director for PayCo Inc., a payment-system infrastructure formed by The Clearing House that operates an electronic check clearing and settlement system, a clearing house and a wholesale funds transfer system. He’s also a member of the Plaid Industry Advisory Board and of the Entrepreneurship Program Advisory Board at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business. Ben has written on behalf of Oliver Wyman and the World Economic Forum, chaired the American Banker Marketplace Lending & Investing conference. He also sits on the board of the Santi School Project, a nonprofit dedicated to giving girls and disadvantaged ethnic minorities in Nepal access to quality education. Along with his wife and two children, Ben lives in Cincinnati and is enjoying his return to suburban living, even as he maintains his passion for international football and world travel.

Lizzie leads Product Strategy & Transformation for all Commercial Card products and clients segments, ranging from small business to Fortune 100. She has spent most of her career in strategy, consulting for Fortune 100 clients to venture-backed startups. She has led teams to launch new products, define go-to-market strategies, create operating models, and ideate customer-centric offerings, among other functions. She received her MBA from Chicago Booth, and has been selected as one of 30 women future leaders in payments by Money 20/20 in 2021 and for ETA Transact’s Forty under 40 leaders of the payments industry in 2023.

Steve Bugg serves as President and CEO of Great Lakes Credit Union, a $1.6 billion Illinois State Chartered Credit Union, Federally Insured by the NCUA and headquartered in Northern Illinois (Lake County). GLCU is a low-income designated credit union (LICU), a community development credit union (CDCU) and holds the Juntos Avanzamos (“Together We Advance”) designation for credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic consumers. The credit union has a strategic focus on serving underserved markets. The credit union serves over 100,000 members nationally through community financial wellness centers and a robust digital channel. Mr. Bugg began his career in banking and then transitioned into the telecommunications industry where he spent over twenty years prior to leveraging that corporate experience with his shift into the credit union industry where he has held multiple leadership roles. Steve has been, and continues to be, actively involved in serving as a volunteer for non-profit boards in leadership capacities, including currently serving on the Lake County Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and serving on the Waukegan Public Library Board as a Trustee. He also supports credit union advocacy efforts by serving on the Illinois Credit Union League Legislative Committee and the Illinois BankOn Committee. Mr. Bugg graduated from the University of Evansville with a BA in Business Administration / Marketing. He is also a graduate of The ProCon Leadership Institute for Cooperatives focusing on the development of CEOs and holds a real estate license in the State of Indiana. He is a strong advocate and supporter of providing low-and-moderate income households with the ability to improve their financial well-being through financial literacy initiatives, including housing counseling, and partnerships with non-profits and government agencies through the GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment. GLCU and Mr. Bugg have been recognized as leaders in the credit union industry through various awards and special recognition and were the first-ever DEI: Catalyst for Change Award winner presented by CUES. In 2023, the credit union launched a strategic partnership with the Leader’s Network in the underserved areas of the South / Southwest side of the City of Chicago with a primary focus on the Austin neighborhood with bringing a financial wellness center to this financial desert.