- With his deep sector expertise Ball will advance GFT's modern, digitally driven open banking propositions

- Retail banking cloud programmes are another focus area

- Role aligns to the diverse needs of an increasingly sophisticated client base, operating within highly volatile market environments

- Ball also joins UK leadership team as Executive Director

LONDON, Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GFT, the leading IT services firm for the global financial services industry, today announces that Christian Ball has been appointed as Chair of its Global Retail Banking Strategy Group. At the same time, he has been promoted to Executive Director and joins GFT's UK leadership team, reporting to David Collins, Managing Director of GFT's Atlantic Region. Christian also remains as Head of Retail Banking for this important region.

As Chair of the Global Retail Banking Strategy Group, Christian will be working closely with Alfio Puglisi, Managing Board member for GFT and Head of Global Business Development, where he will be helping to define the overall strategy for the retail banking business. He will be leading and advancing GFT's modern, digitally driven open banking propositions which are fully aligned with the diverse needs of an increasingly sophisticated client base, many of whom are operating within highly volatile market environments. These new appointments significantly extend Christian's existing responsibilities for developing GFT's growing retail banking business both in the Atlantic region and around the globe.

Christian's retail banking experience spans more than twenty years. Before joining GFT he learnt his craft at firms such as Accenture, Cap Gemini and Fiserv, where he gained deep domain expertise and core skills, including business development, programme delivery and extensive software and operating model knowledge. During his time at GFT he has already led and shaped highly successful enterprise cloud programmes for retail banking clients by focussing on value realisation through specific business case studies and close collaboration with platinum cloud partners.

Christian commented: "The opportunities that open banking initiatives represent for our clients, their respective customers and GFT are unprecedented. At the same time the barriers to entry must never be underestimated. For many, the perceived challenges of open banking are often compliance related, and whilst this is a vitally important component, it is just part of the overall story."

"For me, it's all about understanding the precise needs of our clients and then building robust business solutions which enable them to take full advantage of the 'digital economy opportunities', both now and in the future. I am very privileged to be working with some of the most talented and multi-functional people in the industry. As a group we relish the opportunity to help both our clients, and GFT, to be at the forefront of transforming the business of retail banking, irrespective of geographical location," Ball added.

David Collins, Managing Director for the GFT Atlantic Region commented: "The open banking initiative has levelled the playing field by enabling smaller firms to compete against the larger, more established providers. However, the biggest challenge that continues to affect all firms is the need for intelligent data management capabilities and the ability to comply with stringent Open Banking standards. This is where Christian's wealth of experience in the retail banking arena coupled with his unique understanding of the overall requirements of open banking has made a real difference. His appointments as Chair of the Global Retail Banking Strategy Group and as an Executive Director on the UK leadership team are in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the business thus far."

Collins concluded: "We all wish Christian every success and are looking forward to working more closely with him to create real-world technology solutions that fully support the business goals of our rapidly expanding global client community."

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SOURCE GFT