Fintech & Digital Assets Workshop 2023 (UTD COMTECH)

Gautam Sircar

Gautam Sircar is Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY: NASDAQ) a leading provider of technology solutions and payment processing services for financial institutions. He has been with Jack Henry for over 20 years. Gautam leads corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, strategic programs, and corporate initiatives.

Gautam is responsible for shaping and executing the strategic direction of the company, driving innovation, and ensuring Jack Henry & Associates remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving financial technology landscape. His forward-thinking leadership has been instrumental in guiding the company’s growth and success in rapidly changing industry.

Previously, Gautam served as a Principal at Headstrong, Inc., formerly James Martin & Co., where he was Client Director for key accounts and CRM leader for Southwest. He started his career as a Manufacturing Engineer at Raytheon Company, and has also worked at Oracle Consulting Services, Deloitte Consulting Group, Cadence Design Systems, PepsiCo and Raytheon.

Having held roles with increasing responsibilities in major global companies, Gautam’s extensive knowledge and deep professional experience have sharpened his expertise in areas of consulting, business process reengineering, operations improvement and sales in a diverse range of industries from high technology, telecommunications, utilities, manufacturing, financial services to healthcare.

Gautam earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and an MBA with concentrations in Corporate Strategy and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He was formerly President of the Coppell Girls Softball Association, President of the Coppell High School Softball Booster Club and led fund raising for the Coppell High School Theatre Booster Club.

Originally from the Northeast, Gautam is married with two daughters. He resides in Coppell, Texas with his wife Diana, the CFO of Coppell Independent School District. His eldest daughter is pursuing a Dual Master’s Degree at MIT and his youngest daughter attends the University of Michigan.

Scott Beck

Beck is the Chairman and CEO of UTB Financial Holdings, the parent company of United Texas Bank. Previously, he worked at some of the top financial institutions in the country where he was instrumental in financing billions of dollars of high-profile projects located throughout the country.

Mr. Beck additionally serves as the CEO of Beck Ventures and the Managing Partner of Anthem Development. Over the last 25 years, he directed the development and design of Trophy Club, a 3,500 acre mixed-use master planned city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With the acquisition of the 85 acres comprising Dallas Midtown, Mr. Beck led the re-zoning and entitlement process, as well as the establishment of a $432.5 million tax increment financing district – the largest TIF implemented in Dallas history.

Previously Mr. Beck was an Associate Vice-President at JP Morgan Chase and Co.’s Lab Morgan, he focused on new business formation and corporate strategy for the bank globally. Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase, Mr. Beck was a member of SG Cowen’s leveraged Finance Group, where he provided support to clients who access the high yield and leveraged finance capital markets. Preceding SG, Mr. Beck was a senior auditor at Ernst and Young LLP.

Mr. Beck received a Masters of Accounting from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin where he completed his B.B.A. Mr. Beck is a member of the Board of Directors of United Texas Bank and he serves on various educational and charitable boards across the country.

Christopher Ryan

Christopher Ryan is Associate General Counsel, Crypto and Fintech, at MoneyGram International. MoneyGram is a global leader in the evolution of digital P2P cross-border payments. Chris provides advice on matters related to MoneyGram’s strategic blockchain and digital assets initiatives, including negotiating and drafting commercial agreements, providing regulatory support and product counseling. Additionally, he oversees MoneyGram’s global sourcing and global real estate teams and has previously supported its marketing and IT departments. He previously served as counsel to financial services companies and provided advice on complex commercial and regulatory matters. He has also worked on matters involving commercial and business litigation. He holds a J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law and a B.S. in political science from the University of Dayton.

Lee Bratcher

Lee Bratcher is the President and Founder of the Texas Blockchain Council. The Texas Blockchain Council is an industry association with more than 100 member companies and hundreds of individuals that seek to make Texas the jurisdiction of choice for Bitcoin and blockchain innovation. The TBC helped to research two pieces of blockchain legislation that were passed in the 87th Legislative session and an addition two bills in the 88th Session that were signed into effect by Governor Abbott. Lee and the TBC team have a specific focus on the regulatory environment around Bitcoin mining in Texas. The TBC hosted the Texas Blockchain Summit in Austin at which speakers like Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Cynthia Lummis and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce addressed the sold-out audience. He is also a Captain in the US Army reserves working as Tech Scout for the 75th Innovation Command that supports Army Futures Command. Formerly, Lee was a political science professor at Dallas Baptist University teaching international relations with a research emphasis on property rights.

Lee was awarded a master’s in International Relations from St. Mary’s University and is in his sixth year as a Ph.D. candidate at UT Dallas with a research emphasis on blockchain land registries. Lee lives in Richardson, TX with his wife Becca and their three daughters.

Sandip Sahni

Sandip leads Wipro’s Digital Operations & Platforms business in Americas. His 24 years of financial services experience includes leadership roles with Citigroup’s Captive BPO (CGSL) as Program Leader for N America Operations Outsourcing program, Commercial Real Estate Services business head for SitusAMC, and with TCS as Head of BFSI Business Process Services in US. In his early career, Sandip held positions in Xerox India, Airtel, and Taj Hotels.

He has contributed to diverse contexts ranging from startup to managing mature capabilities in global business organizations in varied leadership roles ranging from business development, product management, corporate relationships, and comprehensive P&L management. Sandip brings expertise in Consumer & Institutional Banking, Capital Markets, and Insurance domains.

Sandip holds a Masters Degree in International Trade from FMS-BHU, a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Delhi University, and a Professional Diploma in Hotel Management from IHM, Delhi. Sandip is married to Subarna and they have two boys. They currently live in Princeton, NJ. Coming from hospitality industry heritage, Sandip is an avid cook and enjoys French cuisine and language. He stays active playing tennis and enjoys being a Science Olympiad coach and Varsity level debate judge.

Angela Faust

Angela has over 20 years’ experience in financial services, 18 of those with Credit Union of Texas. Currently, as Chief Operations Officer, Angela oversees various areas of operations including Risk and Human Resources, Risk & Compliance, Digital Services, Member Services, Collections, Sales and Service, and Information Systems.

Prior to her current role, Angela managed organization wide projects and spent approximately 10 years in Collections. Angela obtained both her BS and MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas as well as a Project Management Professional designation from PMI and currently serves on various advisory boards, where she collaborates with other FI’s on technology, data and industry best practices.

Lee Wetherington (Moderator)

Lee Wetherington is Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Jack Henry & Associates® (JKHY: NASDAQ). Lee directs the development of actionable insights, forecasts and strategy for Jack Henry and the financial services industry at large. To this end, he guides a team of analysts who track the trends and implications of emerging technologies disrupting and transforming the banking industry. Lee delivers keynotes nationwide focusing upon opportunities and challenges in fintech, payments, and digital banking, and he is widely known for his unique style of delivery.

Karthik Kumar (Moderator, Fireside Chat)

Seasoned Mortgage Banking leader with 25 years of diverse experience in Operations, Transformation , Performance excellence and Digitization.As the EVP and COO of LendArch , he leads the US Mortgage industry towards disruptive digital and cognitive solutions. Has focused the last 20 years in Mortgage Consulting, Solution architecture, Operational delivery, Project management, Compliance management and as a change agent for technology endeavors . He is an international speaker , host and facilitator known for disruptive change and digital transformation at various platforms.

Karthik is a Chartered Accountant and a LEAD Alumni from the Stanford Graduate School of Business . He is also COPC Certified , CRU from MBA and a 6 Sigma Black Belt. He is on the Advisory Board for the Center for the Management of Financial and Digital Asset Technologies for UT Dallas JSOM and for Sky Schools.