Capco appoints new Head of Package Integration for Europe

Capco, the global business and technology consultancy dedicated to the financial services industry, has appointed senior partner Cornel Bender to head up the company’s Package Integration offering in Europe. His appointment comes at a time when financial services institutions increasingly require innovative solutions, especially in their complex trading environment.

Bender’s plans for the European Package Integration business include significantly increasing the size of the team, in direct response to increased demand for Capco’s services, driven by the recent turbulence in the financial services sector. Currently Capco has a global Package Integration team in North America and Europe of 200 specialists who are supported by 200 offshore staff in India, all with significant experience in derivative financial instruments’ consulting and software integration.

Commenting on his appointment, Bender said: “We are seeing three major trends in the technology requirements of leading financial institutions. First, increasing numbers of mergers and joint ventures have led to a greater requirement for standardised technology packages to allow for seamless integration. Second, institutions are exploring new business models to increase revenue and reduce cost pressures, which need to be supported by the selective implementation of the most appropriate IT packages. Third, a key focus for institutions is to reduce operational risk; sophisticated technologies allow them to understand and effectively manage risks, and to more easily cover regulatory requirements.

“Consequently, as these technology requirements become increasingly complex, Capco is well positioned to deliver an innovative and leading edge service to clients with its Package Integration offering. Underpinning this offering is the principle of “Architect, Build, Integrate, and Maintain”: we do not only design the sophisticated technology solutions our clients need – we implement, manage, maintain, and upgrade them.”

Bender brings with him his deep industry expertise and 30 years’ experience advising financial services clients. He has been with Capco for three years and in that time has been instrumental in growing Capco’s German practice from 15 to 130 people. Previously, Bender spent 24 years with KPMG Consulting, where his roles included Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets Europe.

Bender is also a member of the editorial board for the ‘Journal of Financial Transformation’, the foremost scholarly journal in applied finance. The Journal is published by the Capco Institute, which is ranked among the top 50 Entrepreneurship Research and Policy Network Organizations on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).

Capco is one of the main providers in the package integration space for financial services clients. Capco currently implements five leading packages for the financial services market: Murex, SimCorp, Advent Geneva, OpenLink, and Wallstreet Suite.

Alongside Bender, Capco’s European Package Integration team leadership includes: Ian Chamberlain (UK, London), Alexander Schlicher (CEE, Frankfurt) and Gilbert Swinkels (Euronext, Antwerp). Capco’s UK PI team has recently been bolstered by the appointment of Steve Dyson as Sales Director and Chantal Constable as Business Development Manager, to support the growing UK team in the booming London market.

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