Rajendra Gangavarapu

Rajendra Gangavarapu has a strong background in risk management and analytics. Starting in 2001, they worked as a Senior Manager in Research & Development at 3i Infotech Ltd. Rajendra then served as a Consultant at GoldenSource before joining SunGard as a Principal in Risk and Performance Solutions, where they managed model development and implementation for various banks.

In 2011, Rajendra became a Vice President at Citi Group and later moved to Santander Bank, N.A. as a Vice President and Head of Risk Analytics. Rajendra then joined Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) as a Director, where they developed an enterprise risk management framework and updated risk policies and procedures.

From 2014 to 2019, Rajendra worked at Synchrony Financial as a Vice President, receiving numerous awards for their successful strategic initiatives in risk management. Rajendra managed model development, credit, reserves, and handled regulatory exams and audits.

In 2020, Rajendra served as the Head of Data Science at diwo and then became the Senior Director of Credit Risk & Portfolio Management at Regional Finance (Regional Management Corp.). Currently, they hold the position of SVP Credit & Portfolio Analytics at Pathward, starting in 2021.

Rajendra Gangavarapu holds a Doctorate in Business Administration with a specialization in Corporate Finance from the Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Prior to that, Rajendra obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a focus on Finance from Andhra University. Rajendra also holds a Master's degree in Economics from Sri Venkateswara University.

In addition to their formal education, Rajendra has obtained various certifications. Rajendra completed the IBM Certification on Python for Data Science and AI as well as the IBM Certified Applied AI with DeepLearning, both from Coursera in December 2019. Rajendra also holds the leading SAFe certification from Scaled Agile, Inc. earned in November 2019. Additionally, Rajendra obtained the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from the Project Management Institute in 2011.

Furthermore, Rajendra has pursued professional development in areas such as AI for Leaders, certified dealer in capital markets and derivative markets from the National Stock Exchange, improving deep neural networks, hyperparameter tuning, regularization and optimization from Coursera, and machine learning from Duke University. Rajendra also holds an International Certificate in Banking Risk & Regulation from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).