Chris Lewis, Head of Solutions with data insight specialist Synectics Solutions, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Open Identity Exchange (OIX).
The OIX is a non-profit trade organisation dedicated to creating a world where everyone can prove their identity and eligibility anywhere through a universally trusted ID.
Chris, an expert in using data intelligence and machine learning for identity verification and financial crime prevention, leads Synectics Solutions’ R&D team in developing data-driven solutions to help public and private sector organisations prevent fraud and better understand their customer base.
An advocate for cross-sector intelligence sharing as the foundation for effective and inclusive risk mitigation, he believes that collaboration is fundamental to progress, particularly when it comes to ensuring that rules and standards set out in the UK’s Digital Identities and Attributes Trust Framework can be practically adopted.
Having already worked on a number of multi-stakeholder pilot projects in this field - including one to develop a ground-breaking electronic digital identity and risk assessment (eKYC) onboarding solution for the financial services sector – Chris is looking forward to applying his expertise and real-world learnings to OIX strategy.
Chris Lewis said: “Robust customer fraud controls and identification procedures are vital to tackling the many, and rapidly evolving, economic crime threats that impact financial services. Finding a way to do this digitally, enabling organisations to keep pace with customer expectations fuelled by the fast-paced digital era in which we live, has proven problematic. How do you balance needs - a frictionless and accessible customer experience on one side, while providing effective fraud safeguards on the other?
“For us at Synectics Solutions, the answers will only emerge from collaborative working and consensus thinking. This is how we, collectively, will establish the level of cross sector, cross border interoperability needed for mainstream Digital Identity adoption. Being part of the OIX provides a valuable opportunity to be at the heart of this process.”
Chris joins other Executive Board members representing Barclays, Deloitte, Equifax, International Airlines Group (AIG), Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, Microsoft and Sopra Steria.
He will help steer strategy and, alongside colleagues from Synectics Solutions, will be heavily involved in OIX working groups looking at the key elements needed to drive Digital ID forward, such as interoperability, financial inclusion, sector education and engagement, and fraud controls.
Nick Mothershaw, Chief Identity Strategist at OIX, said: “This really is a pivotal moment for Digital ID, not just here in the UK but globally. Our mission is to leverage the collective expertise of individuals and organisations crucial to our financial services infrastructure to capitalise on the foundations now in place for making Digital ID a reality. Chris’ experience from his work with Synectics Solutions will undoubtedly help us in achieving this goal.”