Sara Asani

I am a Director-level operating and governance leader with over 11 years of experience across Tier-1 Swiss banking (Credit Suisse, UBS), Big 4 consulting (KPMG), and the FinTech sector. I specialize in building the "Operating Layer" that bridges complex regulatory mandates (DORA, EU AI Act) with commercial execution. Known for providing "Certainty of Close" in high-stakes environments, I have successfully governed data migrations for >1M client dossiers and built 1st Line of Defense mandates for organizations of 1,000+ employees from the ground up.

Service 1: DORA Implementation & Operational Resilience Architecture
The Challenge: By 2026, the transition year for DORA is over, and institutions must now prove sustained resilience. Many firms struggle to move from manual spreadsheets to an audit-ready, automated ICT risk framework. My Solution:

Gap-to-Governance: End-to-end mapping of ICT third-party dependencies and incident reporting protocols.

1LoD Engineering: Designing internal control systems (ICS) that allow the business to own risk without losing commercial momentum.

Audit Readiness: Preparing "Decision-Ready" management assessments for FINMA/supervisory reviews. Quantified Impact: Reduced SLA turnaround times by 60% during the most complex bank merger in Swiss history while maintaining 100% audit readiness.

Service 2: AI Governance Frameworks & "High-Risk" Compliance
The Challenge: The EU AI Act (fully applicable August 2026) mandates that AI systems used for credit scoring or investment advice be strictly governed. Firms face fines of up to €35M for non-compliance or "Diffused Accountability." My Solution:

Regulatory Interpretation: Acting as a "Technical Interpreter" between R&D teams and the Board to ensure AI models are compliant and transparent.

Quality Management Systems (QMS): Implementing the mandatory documentation, bias detection, and human-in-the-loop controls required for high-risk AI.

Agentic AI Control Planes: Designing "kill switches" and monitoring for autonomous agents. Quantified Impact: Transformed sales discovery for a FinTech from transactional to consultative, increasing lead qualification through UX/UI clarity and regulatory trust-building.

Service 3: Fractional Chief of Staff / COO for Scaling Entities
The Challenge: Series B+ FinTechs or mid-market SMEs often face an "Operational Trap"—they are too big for informal structures but not ready for a $400k+ full-time COO. My Solution:

Target Operating Model (TOM) Design: Restructuring team setups and legal entity usage to enable market expansion (EU/UK/GCC).

Commercial Steering: Leading financial forecasting, P&L management, and sales process efficiency.

Post-Merger/Integration Governance: Managing the "friction" of integration, wind-downs, and talent retention during shifts. Quantified Impact: Delivered CHF 100M revenue against a CHF 70M target; achieved CHF 1.5M annual recurring savings through automated financial steering tools.