Laura Castro (Hales) Email & Phone Number

Welwyn Garden City, Gb

Remote

Lead a dynamic team of 30+ analytical and product specialists dedicated to transforming data into actionable insights. My role involves leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning, statistical modelling and technology to drive strategic decision-making and optimise business performance. FCA Certified.• Led the wider analytics team by designing and implementing a new agile team structure and revised operating model, enhancing collaboration and productivity whilst managing costs.• Leading a team acting as ‘analytical translators’, turning business needs into actionable analytical insights. • Responsible for developing and implementing data-driven strategies that enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and support risk management.• My passion lies in fostering a data-centric culture within the organisation, promoting continuous learning, and staying ahead of emerging trends in data science and technology. I thrive on coaching and empowering my team to solve complex problems and delivering insights that drive tangible business outcomes.• Designed several schemes to provide opportunities to colleagues to grow in their careers through development, currently setting up a careers framework for internal team rotations.

London, England, United Kingdom

Leading a product function and cross-functional teams in developing a suite of new to market B2B analytics services and SaaS products focused on modelling, optimisation, strategy design, deployment and monitoring. FCA certified• Led a Model Ops solution from design to build across multiple Business units. • Supported clients across the credit spectrum from large tier 1 banks to start ups, with analytical solutions covering their credit acquisition, pricing, credit limits and collections.• Developed product vision, product design, delivery, in-market testing and iteration. • Analysed market trends, competitor products, and developed pricing strategy.• Identified and validated product opportunities via customer research, analysis and deduction, common sense and data. • Led market research, prospect and client surveys.• Drove strategic planning of the business unit’s roadmap including submitting business cases for funding where needed.• Coordinated activities across geographies and departments.• Influenced global product roadmap to fit regional requirements.

London, England Metropolitan Area

Part of the Leadership team building a Start-up Bank from the ground up – closed due to lack of funding.• Part of core team leading the UK banking licence application for 4 consumer lending and savings products incl. producing the Credit elements required for ICAAP / ILAAP submissions• Shaped the product design across consumer Current Accounts (incl. Overdrafts), Credit Cards (with instalment and rewards optionality) and Personal Loans• Developing the credit management infrastructure and suite of Policies, Frameworks and Standards for Credit and Pricing• Driving the CRA (Experian / Equifax) relationships incl. data selection and cost negotiations• Designing the lending modelling / scoring framework, (including creditworthiness, affordability, and suitability) and designing the processes for ongoing risk assessments• Leading the data strategy across the business, including ensuring compliance and auditability for GDPR purposes• Integrating with Aggregators / price comparison websites as a key marketing channel including designing pre-screening criteria• Designing the systems infrastructure to ensure compliance with treating customers fairly, FCA CONC, responsible lending, and repeat use regulations.• Working closely with developers to ensure the balance between robust risk management and customer experience• Collaboration with operations team to integrate collection of credit information with fincrime and identification requirements

Berlin

Key member of the leadership team leading the team of Risk and Innovation specialists for the Germany Business and a team of Fraud and AML specialists covering Continental Europe – ultimately tasked with winding down and closure of the continental Europe business.• Drove credit performance and achieving business goals using advanced analytics whilst investigating the benefits of new and improved data.• Designing and developing the next generation of credit models, policies, pricing and strategies, streamlining and optimising credit operations, through automation/optimisation.• Conducted manual underwriting for high-value loans and ensured quality assurance for in-policy loans.• Managing the portfolio in Germany with ownership over its improvement and growth whilst also being a key part of global risk initiatives.• Established efficient and secure Fraud and AML processes for Continental Europe, leveraging technology and external data.• Liaising with and gaining buy in from multiple investors, ensuring performance is in line with expectations and gaining approval for risk initiatives.• Ensuring regulatory compliance including building a solid relationship with our fronting bank.• Accountability for credit infrastructure projects with a particular focus on Open Banking and other innovative data sources.• Led and mentored a team, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment, and partnered with senior managers to drive change.

London, United Kingdom

• Led a team of product managers for UK and Iberia, managing a £60m portfolio • Producing business cases for new products including market requirements analysis, product design, revenue / costings, marketing collateral, training, and project management• Acted as an external spokesperson for Equifax, publishing articles and presenting at conferences on risk, affordability, and open banking.• Developing the next generation bureau scorecards for both consumer and commercial• Leading the Product initiative for the introduction of positive payments data sharing in Spain including government/regulator strategy, database design, operational capabilities• Product lead for partnership delivery of risk / affordability characteristics into FICO Triad.• Involvement to the HMT (Treasury) Rental Data Challenge including hosting workshops and advisory activity• Assisting with key deals including client solution design and implementation across the credit market. Ensuring that varying client needs and business models are met with tailored solutions and pricing where appropriate• Developed and released solutions covering affordability, income verification and property insights adopted by most top UK banks and numerous financial providers• Selected for 2018 International Leadership Programme

London, United Kingdom

• Promoted from Product Management Consultant in Feb ’18 Role Details listed above.

London, United Kingdom

• Creation, review and management of global policies around Barclays Group including full portfolio reviews• Interactions with business stakeholders to embed policy and review gaps/possible future conflicts• Secretariat to the group retail credit committee, involving the setting of agendas and following up any actions arising from the meeting • System/process developments aiming to reduce workload and increase control• Redesigning Governance structures across the Group to simplify and improve compliance • Managing a project to revamp the Group Policy structure from multiple individual policies covering individual areas of the credit life cycle to a full end-to-end Policy Manual• Project leader for the development of a SharePoint collaboration site to cover all aspects of Group Retail Credit Risk such as logging deviations to policy for regulators

London

• Creating various models and strategies for the UK Business Banking portfolio, mainly Current Accounts.• Engaging stakeholders and gaining buy-in for changes/implementations• Liaising with different areas of the business (fraud, product, operations etc.) to ensure processes are working the way they should or discover and manage issues where they arise• Creating and maintaining the monthly account management MI• Build of model and associated strategy for Business Current Account overdraft renewals• Taking the Risk lead for a new unauthorised borrowing proposition

Camden, London

Volunteer role. The work ranged from setting credit policy and strategy to underwriting loan applications. This work is very important to me as I truly believe in the importance of affordable access to credit, and that financial institutions have a responsibility to treat their customers fairly.

London, England, United Kingdom

See previous role at Marks and Spencer Money.

Chester, England, United Kingdom

• Application, Behavioural and Basel (PD, EAD, LGD) model builds for M&S Money portfolios (Credit Cards and Loans)• Capital/RWA reporting and stress testing of models• Monitoring unsecured lending portfolios • Collections scorecard build for use on HSBC Current Accounts

Altrincham, England, United Kingdom

One of the UK's leading companies involved in the collection, analysis and distribution of traffic information. * Testing the data produced by various gathering sources for possible coding issues and possible 'real-world' scenarios not factored into the current system.* Liaising directly with clients on their requirements for service and putting in place plans to correct any issues they encountered. * Producing ad-hoc analysis required by clients.* Responsible for reporting/presenting to the Department for Transport * Headed up a team of 3 analysts to produce a program and GUI that when given a set of geographic locations and connections such as a road mapping, would produce a topographic display able to carry information relating to specific points on the mapping. This was intended for use of displaying road speed information for display on a website.

While studying for my degree I was asked to take part in paid tutorship aimed at helping students in the faculty who required extra help with their numeracy. This involved holding drop in centres where anybody could come along and ask any question. This position was very challenging as many people struggle to get their heads around maths and can get very emotional at the prospect of not being able to understand. A lot of patience and consideration was needed, but it was extremely rewarding to help build the student’s confidence.