Laura Arenas has both experience in Finance and Academia, as an IT Risk Manager at Caixa Bank and Lecturer at EALDE Business School and Universidad de Barcelona, she has been able to implement her Fintech knowledge in her professional career.
CFTE: What motivated you to learn about Fintech? What is the relevance to somebody who works in a similar sphere to yours – that is IT Risk, banking, and Academia?
Laura: The main motivation was to become an expert in this subject, this knowledge and skills are very in demand currently and my intention was to keep up with its trend.
I recommend CFTE’s courses strongly for anybody who is working in IT Risk, banking or studying topics related to Fintech and the Finance industry, since it gives you an up-to-date view about Fintech and digital finance. I was able to get insight from some of the industry’s leading experts, understand who is driving innovation in the Finance industry and how, as well critically evaluate the future of the industry.
The Fintech and Digital Finance course with Christophe Chazot provided me with all of these aspects and has given me the opportunity to master a strategic and competitive framework which I have applied both in my professional career and academic journey.
CFTE: How have you implemented the knowledge you acquired through the courses?
Laura: I implemented the acquired insights into my research project by developing real world arguments and practical solutions, which culminated in scientific publications, congress participation and workshops.
I was able to learn a lot in just a short period of time and overall, the knowledge I acquired through the course took my research to the next level, as I was able to fully integrate real world practice with theory. Fintech and Academia are close to their turning point, and I believe that the corporate, governmental, and academic agendas must be reinvented to keep up with the accelerated Fintech era.
CFTE: What did you enjoy the most? Any main takeaways?
Laura: What I enjoyed the most was definitely the opportunity to hear firsthand insights from experts who have had experience in the Fintech and Finance industry. I also enjoyed sharing my opinions with like-minded professionals from all over the world as well as solving exercises, which helped me make sense of all of the concepts reviewed in the course.
As “take away” I would say, there are tons of unexplored opportunities in this area and the demand for elegant solutions and new ideas is tremendous.
CFTE: And finally, describe yourself in 3 words or less!
Laura: Reliable, curious, and passionate.