Michelle Zhou

NUVEEN, A TIAA COMPANY Iselin, NJ

Global asset manager with $1.3T Asset Under Management.

Chief Data Officer                                                                                                                                                  July 2023 - Present

• Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy, securing stakeholder buy-in and funding through effective communication and alignment with business goals
• Reduce market data licensing costs by $20M by re-architecting data feeds in trading and accounting systems and actively monitoring data requests and subscriptions
• Drive a 25% operational efficiency improvement in security data governance, removing redundancy, eliminating regulatory fines through preventative controls
• Boost capital raised by $5B and realize $1M in annual savings by redesigning the enterprise-wide client data management process and enhancing data quality to better align with Sales and Marketing objectives
• Achieve $2M annual infrastructure saving and 50% faster query performance by implementing a Lakehouse on AWS and Snowflake, leveraging data mesh to scale governance and ensure adherence to central standards
• Expand technical data lineage capabilities beyond regulatory requirements, enabling improved cross-functional collaboration and driving 400+ hours reduction in Client Reporting
• Double Leveraged Finance business expansion by launching a Data Quality program that increased the scalability of the CLO data platform by 50%
• Integrate generative AI to automate governance processes, reducing team scaling needs by 20+ FTEs while enhancing data quality transparency
• Automate Finance AUM reporting, cutting production time from 15 to 5 days, accelerating revenue-driving RFP processes
• Lead a global team of 150 professionals across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC, doubling engagement and fostering innovation across regions
• Maintain a strong industry presence by cultivating a broad professional network and regularly speaking at prominent industry events, sharing insights and expertise

BNY MELLON New York, NY                                                                                                    May 2019 - July 2023

Global financial services leader with multiple lines of business that manage, move, and protect nearly $50T in client assets. 

Head of Enterprise Control Intelligence & Analytics  Sept 2022 - July 2023

• Established the "Enterprise Data Response" capability to enable crisis monitoring, exposure analysis, and regulatory requirements, improving risk monitoring and reducing crisis response time by 50% 
• Built a next-gen Control Office data platform on Hadoop, automating consolidated first-line risk and control reporting across LOBs, enabling daily monitoring and enhancing response times to critical situations such as geopolitical crises, bank failures, US debt ceilings and other emerging risks
• Established data governance frameworks to standardize risk and control data practices. Delivered actionable insights to C-suite executives, enhancing decision-making turnaround by 50% or more, particularly during crisis events, and improving responsiveness across business lines and corporate functions
• Spearheaded BNY Mellon’s first “Data Analytics Innovation Program” in its 250 year history, equipping employees with cutting-edge tools and data skills and advanced tools such as Alteryx, Tableau and Power BI, resulting in a 90% productivity increase for 300+ processes across the firm
• Co-chaired the Asian Leadership Executive Forum, driving DEI initiatives that doubled employee engagement

Head of Enterprise Data Governance Capability & Control  May 2021– Sept 2022

• Spearheaded data strategy under the Enterprise Chief Data Officer, implementing actionable data governance policies, standards, and procedures, enhancing enterprise-wide practices and driving improved data consistency, compliance, and the successful closure of a long-standing regulatory finding
• Implemented an Enterprise Data Taxonomy and Data Quality framework to standardize definitions and models for Liquidity, CCAR, and BCBS 239 reports. Automated DQ scorecards, capturing ADS and CDEs, and established governance, resulting in avoidance of regulatory fines
• Introduced AI/ML and RPA tools to improve data governance, glossary management, and data quality monitoring. Collaborated with technology teams to develop scalable solutions using Collibra, Informatica, Solitatus, and ASG

Deputy Finance Chief Data Officer  May 2019 – May 2021            

• Defined and executed the data strategy, standards, and plans for the global Finance organization at BNY Mellon, securing stakeholder buy-in and establishing a "best in class" data governance function, leading to the successful closeout of regulatory MRIAs for FR2052a and CCAR
• Built and implemented a industry-leading data governance model, validated by audit, including CDE identification, data quality metrics, controls, and remediation processes. Developed an enterprise data glossary, standardized sourcing practices, enabled data lineage, and automated governance reporting to ensure consistent data management across Finance
• Designed and implemented a data governance framework across Finance, Regulatory Reporting, and Corporate Treasury, reducing manual adjustments by 30% by addressing data issues at the source
• Led the Data Pillar in the Finance Digital Transformation Program, creating a unified data mart across Finance, Regulatory Reporting, and Corporate Treasury on a Hadoop-based platform, using Airflow and Spark, delivering a single data model and version of the truth
• Managed a global team of data stewards, data architects, and data operational analysts

BNP Paribas Jersey City, NJ                                                                                                      Apr 2015–May 2019

Top 10 global banking leader, offering comprehensive services across retail, corporate, and investment banking, managing trillions in assets.

Head of North America Referential Data Management Office  May 2017–May 2019

• Established the first Referential Data Management Office in North America, standardizing global processes for KYC and client data management.
• Created Client Referential Data Management Policies and Standards, standardizing data usage, enhancing control, and driving a 20% reduction in data errors, resulting in improved KYC compliance across business functions
• Implemented Issue Management & Remediation (IMR) process across front, middle, and back office teams, resolving issues in Counterparty, Legal Entity, Securities, Product data, improved data matching by 30% for KYC

Finance Systems and Data Manager  Apr 2015 – May 2017              

• Remediated key data issues across Business, Finance, and Technology teams to close gaps in FRY9C and CCAR reporting, ensuring compliance and data integrity
• Built Shared Reporting Space (SRS) for Finance and Risk data and standardized one single stream of data for BCBS 239
• Led End-to-End Data Performance Enhancement projects for the IHC Finance Architecture, implementing Smart Scheduling, Stream Processing, and Incremental Processing to reduce ledger processing time from 8 hours to 2 hours, significantly accelerating financial operations and data accuracy
• Developed the Financial Month-End Close Runbook to plan, monitor, and manage change control processes, ensuring data availability and transparency for key users while supporting Data Governance initiatives

BLOOMBERG New York, NY

Global leader in financial data and analytics, delivering real-time market insights, news, and powerful tools to financial professionals worldwide.

Finance Manager                                                                                                                                               June 2010 - Apr 2015

• Delivered financial analysis to the CFO, Product, and Sales heads, including P&Ls, dashboards, variance analysis, projections, scenario modeling, and ad-hoc analysis
• Implemented a Data Vendor Management System on Bloomberg Terminal, improving data acquisition efficiency by 50% and identifying $10M in annual cost savings on a $100M data cost base through digitalization and analysis
• Automated workflows in SAP and Excel, achieving 90% reduction in manual errors and accelerating reporting cycles
• Improved profitability and resource allocation by developing real-time revenue and headcount dashboards with Tableau, enabling management to proactively respond to changes through visualized analytics and automated alerts

NUVEEN, A TIAA COMPANY Iselin, NJ

Global asset manager with $1.3T Asset Under Management.

Chief Data Officer                                                                                                                                                  July 2023 - Present

• Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy, securing stakeholder buy-in and funding through effective communication and alignment with business goals
• Reduce market data licensing costs by $20M by re-architecting data feeds in trading and accounting systems and actively monitoring data requests and subscriptions
• Drive a 25% operational efficiency improvement in security data governance, removing redundancy, eliminating regulatory fines through preventative controls
• Boost capital raised by $5B and realize $1M in annual savings by redesigning the enterprise-wide client data management process and enhancing data quality to better align with Sales and Marketing objectives
• Achieve $2M annual infrastructure saving and 50% faster query performance by implementing a Lakehouse on AWS and Snowflake, leveraging data mesh to scale governance and ensure adherence to central standards
• Expand technical data lineage capabilities beyond regulatory requirements, enabling improved cross-functional collaboration and driving 400+ hours reduction in Client Reporting
• Double Leveraged Finance business expansion by launching a Data Quality program that increased the scalability of the CLO data platform by 50%
• Integrate generative AI to automate governance processes, reducing team scaling needs by 20+ FTEs while enhancing data quality transparency
• Automate Finance AUM reporting, cutting production time from 15 to 5 days, accelerating revenue-driving RFP processes
• Lead a global team of 150 professionals across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC, doubling engagement and fostering innovation across regions
• Maintain a strong industry presence by cultivating a broad professional network and regularly speaking at prominent industry events, sharing insights and expertise

BNY MELLON New York, NY                                                                                                    May 2019 - July 2023

Global financial services leader with multiple lines of business that manage, move, and protect nearly $50T in client assets. 

Head of Enterprise Control Intelligence & Analytics  Sept 2022 - July 2023

• Established the "Enterprise Data Response" capability to enable crisis monitoring, exposure analysis, and regulatory requirements, improving risk monitoring and reducing crisis response time by 50% 
• Built a next-gen Control Office data platform on Hadoop, automating consolidated first-line risk and control reporting across LOBs, enabling daily monitoring and enhancing response times to critical situations such as geopolitical crises, bank failures, US debt ceilings and other emerging risks
• Established data governance frameworks to standardize risk and control data practices. Delivered actionable insights to C-suite executives, enhancing decision-making turnaround by 50% or more, particularly during crisis events, and improving responsiveness across business lines and corporate functions
• Spearheaded BNY Mellon’s first “Data Analytics Innovation Program” in its 250 year history, equipping employees with cutting-edge tools and data skills and advanced tools such as Alteryx, Tableau and Power BI, resulting in a 90% productivity increase for 300+ processes across the firm
• Co-chaired the Asian Leadership Executive Forum, driving DEI initiatives that doubled employee engagement

Head of Enterprise Data Governance Capability & Control  May 2021– Sept 2022

• Spearheaded data strategy under the Enterprise Chief Data Officer, implementing actionable data governance policies, standards, and procedures, enhancing enterprise-wide practices and driving improved data consistency, compliance, and the successful closure of a long-standing regulatory finding
• Implemented an Enterprise Data Taxonomy and Data Quality framework to standardize definitions and models for Liquidity, CCAR, and BCBS 239 reports. Automated DQ scorecards, capturing ADS and CDEs, and established governance, resulting in avoidance of regulatory fines
• Introduced AI/ML and RPA tools to improve data governance, glossary management, and data quality monitoring. Collaborated with technology teams to develop scalable solutions using Collibra, Informatica, Solitatus, and ASG

Deputy Finance Chief Data Officer  May 2019 – May 2021            

• Defined and executed the data strategy, standards, and plans for the global Finance organization at BNY Mellon, securing stakeholder buy-in and establishing a "best in class" data governance function, leading to the successful closeout of regulatory MRIAs for FR2052a and CCAR
• Built and implemented a industry-leading data governance model, validated by audit, including CDE identification, data quality metrics, controls, and remediation processes. Developed an enterprise data glossary, standardized sourcing practices, enabled data lineage, and automated governance reporting to ensure consistent data management across Finance
• Designed and implemented a data governance framework across Finance, Regulatory Reporting, and Corporate Treasury, reducing manual adjustments by 30% by addressing data issues at the source
• Led the Data Pillar in the Finance Digital Transformation Program, creating a unified data mart across Finance, Regulatory Reporting, and Corporate Treasury on a Hadoop-based platform, using Airflow and Spark, delivering a single data model and version of the truth
• Managed a global team of data stewards, data architects, and data operational analysts

BNP Paribas Jersey City, NJ                                                                                                      Apr 2015–May 2019

Top 10 global banking leader, offering comprehensive services across retail, corporate, and investment banking, managing trillions in assets.

Head of North America Referential Data Management Office  May 2017–May 2019

• Established the first Referential Data Management Office in North America, standardizing global processes for KYC and client data management.
• Created Client Referential Data Management Policies and Standards, standardizing data usage, enhancing control, and driving a 20% reduction in data errors, resulting in improved KYC compliance across business functions
• Implemented Issue Management & Remediation (IMR) process across front, middle, and back office teams, resolving issues in Counterparty, Legal Entity, Securities, Product data, improved data matching by 30% for KYC

Finance Systems and Data Manager  Apr 2015 – May 2017              

• Remediated key data issues across Business, Finance, and Technology teams to close gaps in FRY9C and CCAR reporting, ensuring compliance and data integrity
• Built Shared Reporting Space (SRS) for Finance and Risk data and standardized one single stream of data for BCBS 239
• Led End-to-End Data Performance Enhancement projects for the IHC Finance Architecture, implementing Smart Scheduling, Stream Processing, and Incremental Processing to reduce ledger processing time from 8 hours to 2 hours, significantly accelerating financial operations and data accuracy
• Developed the Financial Month-End Close Runbook to plan, monitor, and manage change control processes, ensuring data availability and transparency for key users while supporting Data Governance initiatives

BLOOMBERG New York, NY

Global leader in financial data and analytics, delivering real-time market insights, news, and powerful tools to financial professionals worldwide.

Finance Manager                                                                                                                                               June 2010 - Apr 2015

• Delivered financial analysis to the CFO, Product, and Sales heads, including P&Ls, dashboards, variance analysis, projections, scenario modeling, and ad-hoc analysis
• Implemented a Data Vendor Management System on Bloomberg Terminal, improving data acquisition efficiency by 50% and identifying $10M in annual cost savings on a $100M data cost base through digitalization and analysis
• Automated workflows in SAP and Excel, achieving 90% reduction in manual errors and accelerating reporting cycles
• Improved profitability and resource allocation by developing real-time revenue and headcount dashboards with Tableau, enabling management to proactively respond to changes through visualized analytics and automated alerts

MBA in Finance, Binghamton University, GPA 4.0