Backbase hires Chris Shayan to lead integration of AI into Engagement Banking platform
Amsterdam-based fintech Backbase has appointed “digital leader” Chris Shayan as head of AI to guide the latest technology enhancements to its Engagement Banking platform.
Chris Shayan to lead AI for Backbase (Image: LinkedIn)
Backbase will leverage the appointment and Shayan’s “hands-on experience with AI” to apply LLMs to the platform, which is currently used by Bank Muamalat in Malaysia, Navy Federal Credit Union in the US, and Danske Bank in Denmark, among others.
Thomas Fuss, CTO of Backbase, says the appointment “is set to lead our AI initiatives into an exciting future”, in an initiative Shayan adds will “personalise and innovate the customer journey, unlocking new avenues for banks to increase customer lifetime value”.
He joins the fintech directly from Vietnamese commercial bank HD Bank, which experienced “a complete digital transformation” during his two-year tenure as chief digital officer.
Before this, he served as CTO for Techcombank (TCB), one of the largest commercial banks in Vietnam, where he led a Backbase implementation across both its retail and business banking divisions “in a record-breaking nine months”.
In addition to the appointment, which is expected to “significantly advance” its AI strategy and adoption, Backbase is also readying the ground to launch a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Vietnam, which it says will be supported by “a team of dedicated subject matter experts”.
The initiative will expand the fintech’s headcount to over 40 employees in the country, which will become a “key hub” for its R&D and customer success teams.
“The recognition of the exceptional talent pool in Vietnam further solidifies the company’s vision of synergies that promise to address complex banking challenges and position Backbase as a leader in AI-driven banking solutions,” adds Shayan.
