stephen woitsky

Experience

• 

  City National Bank

  Senior Vice President, Operational Risk Management

  Jan 2025 - Present

  City National Bank offers personal, private, and business banking, investment, and brokerage services as a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada.

• 

  Wells Fargo

  Executive Director, Operational Risk Business Oversight

  Jan 2022 - Jan 2025

  Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company providing banking, investment, and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance.

  • Led the management, review, and challenge of Enterprise Risk Management programs.
  • Facilitated training for Enterprise Risk Management initiatives across diverse teams.
  • Developed the Strategic Development & Innovation Operational Risk Business Oversight team in collaboration with first line control and independent risk management teams.
• 

  Wells Fargo

  Senior Vice President, Operational Risk Business Oversight

  Jan 2020 - Jan 2022

  • Responsible for providing operational risk expertise, oversight, and challenge in the execution of operational risk management program activities for the Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) Division Operational Risk Management Oversight (ORBO) Group.
  • Manage the implementation, oversight and change management of Risk Control Self-Assessment, Issue Management, Independent Operational Risk Assessment, Risk Management Effectiveness, Enterprise Risk Independent Assessment Programs.
  • Implement and manage operational risk frameworks that provide training and processes for operational risk managers to effectively execute, monitor and remediate operational risk exposures across all CIB business lines.
  • Developed and manage operational risk management reporting that provides an executive summary of aggregate operational risk profile to CIB Executive Risk Management Committee and Chief Risk Officer.

• Bank of the West

  SVP, Operational Risk Management

  Jan 2015 - Jan 2020

  • Responsible for leading teams in the execution and management of the operational risk management program with the Bank of the West’s business lines (Wealth Management, Retail and Commercial Banking) and Risk Management Group. Leads internal audit and regulatory tracking, reporting and implementation of business line issues.
  • Reorganized the Operational Risk Management Team, transitioning the group to a second line function and taking steps to bolster effectiveness, program knowledge, and business knowledge to become trusted advisors.
  • Trained first-line operational risk management teams.
  • Partner with business lines and 2nd line control functions to drive enhancement of the Banks control environment and risk mitigation capabilities.
  • Oversee the enhancement and implementation of the operational risk management program processes relating to risk control self-assessments, new activities, key indicators and governance that provides efficiency and transparency in the assessment, monitoring and reporting of the banks control and risk environment to senior management and executive risk committees.
• 

  The Clearing House

  Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk and Business Continuity Management

  Jan 2013 - Jan 2015

  • Built and lead a team of risk professionals performing Enterprise Risk Management and Business Continuity functions; recruited based on a record of achievement in risk management and experience at Systemically Important Financial Market Utilities (SFMU).
  • Lead a process that aligned business and technology strategies with core firm objectives; implemented key indicators (KPIs and KRI’s) and dashboards to provide insight into performance against risk thresholds to managers, risk committees, and the Board.
  • Deployed specific dashboards that included the Governance Risk and Compliance System (RSA Archer) that provided detailed risk registers, metrics, incidents, regulatory issues and gaps for management
  • Leveraged superior subject matter expertise to launch and lead a training program for Enterprise Risk Management, improving management awareness on roles and responsibilities of the 3 lines of defense to proactively identify, assess and address risks
  • Oversaw all risk management reporting to internal and board risk management committees
  • Assume a lead role in the management of relationships with regulatory agencies that included the FDIC, OCC, and FRB
• 

  CLS Bank International

  Executive Director of Operational Risk Management

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2013

  • Established and led a global team of risk managers for the largest multi-currency cash settlement system, tasked with performing risk self -assessments, model risk governance, risk reporting and monitoring for operations in New York and London
  • Recruited to address Federal Reserve scrutiny of the risk management structure; leveraged industry experience to identify what was needed to rebuild the risk management framework using a mature and sustainable model.
  • Used the COSO Framework as a basis for the design and deployment of a Enterprise Risk Framework governing the assessment, monitoring, and reporting of risk and performance to support executive decision making processes.
  • Led the development and delivery of Risk Management Training, providing improved awareness of operational risks for business leaders across the enterprise.
  • Launched a Risk Framework to govern Project Management, working with the PMO to design and deploy risk components such as risk matrix, risk register and monthly project risk reporting
  • Worked closely with Federal Reserve Supervisory Examiners on continuous monitoring and periodic reviews of operational risk
• 

  Credit Suisse

  Director of Business Risk Management, Private Banking

  Jan 2009 - Jan 2011

  • Led the implementation of a comprehensive Business Risk Framework incorporating supervisory and SOX controls, risk self-assessment, key risk indicators, quality assurance testing and monthly business risk reporting
  • Identified and implemented corrective measures to address weaknesses in operational controls within Private Banking USA and the Bahamas
• 

  UBS Wealth Management

  Director of Risk and Quality Management, Wealth Management Middle Office

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2009

  • Served as the architect of the Risk and Quality Management function, leading the deployment of a risk control framework that delivered insights into the overall risk landscape to managers
  • Championed the implementation of the Sarbanes Oxley Quality Assurance Project, leading all Middle Office businesses in the revision of SOX controls and risk metrics to address issues to do with business reorganization, process gaps and lack of procedures
• 

  Societe Generale

  Operations Risk Manager/Product Controller

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2006

  • Reassigned from Internal Audit to fill this newly created position at the request of the US Head of Operations
  • Led the Basel II migration of eligible collateral to the bank’s Commercial Lending System (Loan IQ), qualifying for a reduction in regulatory risk capital requirements
  • Performed risk assessments of all financing departments through the leadership of a Basel II Operational Risk project plan, using the results to improve internal control environments
  • Placed into a management role directing a task force to investigate and resolve trade errors, process and control weaknesses
• 

  Societe Generale

  Manager, VP of Internal Audit

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2003

  • Supervised teams engaged in multiple audits, positioning the group as a strategic partner to internal departments
  • Managed all audits, client relationships, special investigations, and new business assessments across the Americas, with authority over Broker Dealer, Capital Markets, and Commodities Audit Teams
  • Applied a risk based approach that covered front-office, middle-office, back-office, risk, and accounting and compliance functions for a broad spectrum of businesses that included broker dealer, equities, fixed income, derivatives and structured finance

• Credit Agricole Indosuez

  Senior Manager and VP Internal Audit

  Jan 1994 - Jan 1999

  • Recruited to lead the establishment of the Regional Internal Audit Function in Singapore, applicable to operations in the South Pacific Asia Region; implemented standards and risk-based audit methodology for Private Banking, Equities & Futures Brokerage, Fixed Income, Listed and OTC Derivatives, Trade Finance, Structured Products, Prime Brokerage, and Commercial Lending
  • Assumed a lead role managing relationships with regulatory authorities, including the Singapore Monetary Authority (“MAS”) and Singapore International Monetary Exchange (“SIMEX”)
  • Lead a team to review client documentation with derivative's exposure and counterpart credit lines for a $2 billion loan portfolio
• 

  National Westminster Bank

  Assistant Vice President, Internal Audit

  Jan 1991 - Dec 1994

  NatWest provides banking and financial services to personal, business, and wealth clients as part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

• 

  Citi

  Risk Analyst

  Jan 1989 - Dec 1991

  Citi is a global financial services corporation providing a range of banking, investment, and wealth management services.