Vice President and Head of Banking
Cognizant
Meena Athinathan is Vice President and Strategic Business Unit Head for Banking at Cognizant, where she leads digital transformation and strategic growth initiatives for major financial institutions across North America. With more than 20 years of experience in banking technology and enterprise transformation, she specializes in helping organizations modernize technology and operations, enhance customer experience, and accelerate innovation.
Her expertise spans retail and commercial banking, payments, cloud modernization, AI-driven transformation, and digital engagement strategy. Meena is recognized for her human-centered approach to innovation, helping banks balance emerging technologies with trust, operational resilience, and customer expectations.
A respected industry voice, she frequently shares insights on AI, embedded finance, personalization, and the future of digital banking.
As financial services become increasingly integrated and instantaneous, institutions must navigate a complex landscape of emerging risks that challenge traditional defense mechanisms. Experts will discuss the strategic balance between providing a seamless, high-speed user experience and maintaining robust protections against sophisticated global cybersecurity and AI-enabled fraud threats. The conversation will focus on the shift toward proactive risk management, the impact of new regulatory frameworks on digital resilience, and the collaborative, cross-channel strategies required to safeguard the integrity of the financial system in an era of constant technological change.