Based in Charlotte, North Carolina

Background:

David helps financial services & technology leaders to navigate change & discover new opportunities – by “bringing new ideas to the discipline of the market.” He is a Corporate Innovation, Fintech Ecosystem & Technology Trends Expert.

David has led pioneering teams in corporate strategy, banking innovation, fintech partnerships, and digital transformation for almost 20 years. Over this time, he has held many roles – from bank executive leading innovation & new ventures, to fintech firm founder, to management consultant with top-tier advisory firms & clients. Selected career highlights include:

• Pioneered the corporate innovation program in a large bank, building an innovation culture with 40K employees.
• At the same time, created new lines of business via the earliest fintech partnerships, including a SME banking solution used by over 400k business customers. Culminated with the bank being recognized as “the most innovative bank in the world” by BAI, Chicago in 2012.
• Co-founded the first Fintech engagement platform, used by over 130 financial institutions & 7k fintech firms; successfully exited by selling this business to KPMG International.
• Founded specialist consulting firm Ulysses Partners, working with Banks, Fintech Firms, and large Technology Providers in the USA and other key markets.

From these experiences, David developed an in-depth understanding of corporate innovation, and how to leverage new technology to drive positive change in Financial Services.

Executives and leaders in financial services (esp. banking) and technology firms (incl. established fintech and large tech providers) are dealing with unprecedented change & complexity. The financial services landscape is changing fast, with technology giving access to customers to diverse players, both established and new. Banking and fintech business models have evolved over the past decade, from more direct vendor relationships to a more complex array of platforms and partnerships. Within this context, the need to innovate has never been greater.

Area of expertise:

• Innovation Strategy & Execution
• Emerging Technology Selection
• Design Thinking & Ideation
• Market Research
• Project & Program Management
• Corporate Strategy Development
• Building Ecosystems & Platforms
• Business Case Development
• New Venture Creation & Spin-off

Education & Certifications:

• Master of Business Administration, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
• B.A. Honors (1st) (Law, International Relations),University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Certificate in Executive Decision Making with Data Science, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Berkeley, CA
• Innovation Management Green Belt, Innovation 360 Group, Sweden & New York

Contact:

david.milligan@ulysses-partners.com  | C: +1 704-441-5151
www.ulysses-partners.com  |  https://innovation360.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmilligan/