Mr. Chantrier, you are Swissquote's Chief Risk Officer, and have been a lecturer at the ISFB for many years. Could you tell us a little about your professional background?

I joined the Bank in 2000 and have been Chief Risk Officer (CRO) since 2017. Over the years, I have held various positions in backoffice, finance and internal control. These experiences have enabled me to develop a global vision of the issues linked to risk management and banking sector regulations. In my current role, I oversee risk management and internal control. My role is to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks to ensure the organization's stability and compliance.

In parallel with my CRO duties, I have been a lecturer for many years at the ISFB, where I teach the module on operational risk management. This activity enables me to share my expertise with students and professionals in continuing education, while keeping abreast of developments in the sector.

My commitment to teaching is motivated by a desire to help train the next generation of banking risk professionals, providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate a constantly changing environment.

What are the major challenges facing your business, and how do they play out on a day-to-day basis for the various specialists at a facility like yours?

The major challenges facing my job as Chief Risk Officer are multiple and complex, reflecting the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of the financial sector.

Here are three of the main challenges and how they manifest themselves on a daily basis for the various specialists at our bank:

1. Risk management

• Issue: Identify, assess and mitigate credit, market, liquidity and operational risks.
• Day-to-day: Risk analysts work closely with the trading and credit teams to monitor exposures and adjust strategies in line with market fluctuations.

2. Cyber security and data protection

• Challenge: Protect IT infrastructure and sensitive data against cyber-attacks.
• Day-to-day: IT and security teams work tirelessly to reinforce defense systems, carry out penetration tests and raise awareness of good security practices.

3. Business continuity

• Challenge: Ensure the bank's resilience in the face of major incidents or interruptions.
• Day-to-day: IT and internal control teams develop and test recovery plans to ensure that the bank can continue to operate in the event of a serious crisis.

These challenges require close collaboration between different departments and constant vigilance to anticipate and respond to risks. My role as CRO is to coordinate these efforts, provide a strategic vision and ensure that the entire organization is aligned with risk management objectives.

You are the Program Director for this new ISFB Certificate in Internal Control and Risk Management. Who is this course aimed at, and what skills will participants develop?

We have designed this training course for risk management and internal control specialists. Our aim is to develop skills that are immediately transferable to the field. At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. make recommendations to improve risk management strategies in a given institution.
2. design a risk management plan incorporating the various types of risk and internal control mechanisms.
3. use internal control principles to assess existing processes within an organization.
4. Understand the issues, implications and regulations relating to different types of risk (strategic, market, credit, operational, etc.).

In short, this course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate effectively in an ever-changing risk environment, while ensuring their organization's compliance and resilience.

Gilles Chantrier

Chief Risk Officer (Swissquote)