NEW YORK, June 1, 2017, GFT,the leading provider of business, design and technology consulting to thefinancial services community, has appointed MarikaLulay as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to drive international expansionand deliver transformative technologies that help clients improve their ownefficiency and performance.
Most recently serving as GFT ChiefOperating Officer, Lulay brings extensive experience across financial servicesand technology. Within her 15-year tenure at GFT, she has overseen a five-foldincrease in workforce, multiple acquisitions, and an expanded presence inglobal markets, while maintaining a client-first approach.
Furthering GFT’s strong momentum,Lulay’s appointment comes during a landmark 30-year anniversary for the companyand she will help lead the company through its next phase of growth. Founded bydeparting CEO Ulrich Dietz in 1987 in Stuttgart Germany, GFT now operates in 12countries with 5,000 employees. GFT’s focus on the finance sector enables thefirm to provide technology solutions for clients that take account of thehighly complex nature of banks and other financial service organizations.
“GFT continues to ‘think global’ and‘act local’. We enable clients to access transnational resources withspecialists on hand to work alongside clients at their offices, whilstexperienced teams of delivery resources provide additional support from ourefficient nearshore locations,” said MarikaLulay, CEO at GFT. “I am delighted to take on the role of CEO to driveGFT forward in the next phase of its evolution. Success in recent yearsconfirms we’re pursuing the right strategy – not only to establish GFT as aninnovative industry specialist, but also to leverage this as a means to driveinternational growth in all markets.”
In addition to helping clientsmanage and improve legacy technologies, GFT examines new and emerging trends tohelp clients create future efficiency and growth in areas such as:
Cloud migration – managing and simplifying complex migrationsof individual IT systems to scalable cloud infrastructures
Artificial intelligence – embracing robotics and use ofcognitive banking methods based on self-learning systems, to service customersbetter and grow revenue
Distributed ledger adoption – testing real-worlduse-cases in GFT’s blockchain incubator, such as the successfulcollaborative project with the Royal Bank of Scotland running on GoogleCloud
Industry 4.0 – working to integrate future financialtransactions into the supply chain of traditional industries, as technologybecomes ubiquitous
Lulay is passionate about newtechnology and in helping clients face the difficult challenge of introducingefficient new global systems, while managing a complex interconnected legacy ofhistoric IT infrastructure and applications.
“We are thrilled that Marika hasbeen appointed as CEO, building on the successful growth of the firm sinceUlrich Dietz founded GFT 30 years ago,” said Gareth Richardson,Managing Director, Atlantic Region at GFT. “I am sure with herdeep knowledge of the GFT’s expertise and talented team of specialists, GFTwill go from strength-to-strength as it embraces new technologies that help ourclients grow.”
About GFT
GFT Technologies SE (GFT) is abusiness change and technology consultancy trusted by the world’s leadingfinancial services institutions to solve their most critical challenges.Specifically defining answers to the current constant of regulatory change –whilst innovating to meet the demands of the digital revolution. GFT bringstogether advisory, creative and technology capabilities with innovation cultureand specialist knowledge of the finance sector, to transform the clients’businesses.
Utilising the CODE_n innovationplatform, GFT is able to provide international start-ups, technology pioneersand established companies access to a global network, which enables them to tapinto the disruptive trends in financial services markets and harness them fortheir out of the box thinking.
GFT plans to generate consolidatedrevenue of around EUR 450 million in its financial year 2017. Founded in 1987,the company is now represented in twelve countries with a global team of almost5,000 employees. The GFT share is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in theTecDAX (ISIN: DE0005800601).