Theodora Lau

We are now in an environment where we can play with artificial intelligence, but that doesn’t mean serious questions should be ignored

My thoughts on why we need urgent conversations around a technology that will help define us.

This article was published in The Fintech Magazine Issue 25, Page 78-79.

URL for digital magazine: https://issuu.com/advertainmentmedia/docs/tfm26_combined_singles/78

Instructor for CFTE Think Course:
- How to make financial inclusion an actionable trend
- Outline AI opportunities for inclusivity
- Understand how Fintech improve financial inclusion in the case of the gig economy
- Know how AI support better and fair business decisions

Interview with Fintech Times at Fintech Week London - on using technology for good, AI, and going Beyond Good

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqeMhMNGmG0&t=6s

How can we, as an industry, be more empathetic and create solutions that matter?

How will our purpose and intention chart the path for the fintech future?

In this episode, our guest is Theodora Lau, joint author of the book "Beyond Good". We chat with Theo about the book and some of the stories it spotlights. We also talk through some of the emergent trends in fintech, such as #BNPL, which are not always positive forces for change.

Fintech Talents North America Panel with Dana Wilson, David Reiling, and Michael Haney
Financial Wellness: A goal whose technology has come

Finovate Spring 2022 Power Panel with Sierra Fontana and Vivian Yeung -
"AI in Action - How smart players are harnessing AI"

University of Maryland, Center for Social Value Creation - ESG Conference 2022

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6gKhMWoM2E

Financial wellness has to be more inclusive. While we have made progress, we still have a much longer journey to go. Here are a few thoughts from the recent Milken Global Conference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIWPtrVpw5o&list=PL2EXy_Hi93bLYNA1Zuk3tYVLLhumJiFsR&index=3

At the Finovate Europe 2022 conference in London, FinTech Futures sat down with Theodora Lau, fintech advisor and founder of Unconventional Ventures, to discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in finance and future tech trends.

URL: https://www.fintechfutures.com/2022/04/video-theo-lau-at-finovate-europe-2022-the-future-of-ai-in-finance/

A chat on Beyond Good and application of AI in financial services.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzE52bWXoE0

New technologies hold promise for both improving the relationship between financial services institutions and their customers and strengthening the financial outcomes for larger swathes of our society if this is done responsibly.

From customer service, personal finance and wealth management to credit decisioning and risk management, artificial intelligence (AI) has been employed to drive business outcomes. Despite the heightened interests, however, there still exists a significant gap… Show more

New technologies hold promise for both improving the relationship between financial services institutions and their customers and strengthening the financial outcomes for larger swathes of our society if this is done responsibly.

From customer service, personal finance and wealth management to credit decisioning and risk management, artificial intelligence (AI) has been employed to drive business outcomes. Despite the heightened interests, however, there still exists a significant gap between expectation and reality.

And we must dig deeper into ethics and trust — the very values that are uniquely human — and reflect on the safeguards that need to be in place to ensure accountability, transparency, fairness and auditability, as more use cases move from pure research and development into real-world applications in our daily lives.

As an industry, we must move beyond efficiency and cost savings to an era where AI-driven applications are more intentional and purposeful in transforming human lives.

Because our very future depends on it. Show less

The increased adoption of cloud-based applications has become the unsung hero that enabled a smoother transition while delivering the superior experience needed for organizations to compete in today’s environment — and this trend is expected to continue.

Today we're joined by Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures, Author of Beyond Good, Podcaster, and Mentor at the Venture Centre, a programme that helps entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running. Unconventional Ventures provides boutique consulting services to drive innovation and improve systematic financial wellness. It works to better address the unmet needs of consumers, including older adults and women and helps connect company founders with funders.

URL:… Show more

Today we're joined by Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures, Author of Beyond Good, Podcaster, and Mentor at the Venture Centre, a programme that helps entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running. Unconventional Ventures provides boutique consulting services to drive innovation and improve systematic financial wellness. It works to better address the unmet needs of consumers, including older adults and women and helps connect company founders with funders.

URL: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PmWlU2lgoTBQ5oQMSTOVF Show less

Top Trends in Financial Services 2022 with Microsoft:
Ensuring consumer inclusiveness in a digital fintech world

URL: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/microsoft-in-business/top-trends-in-financial-services-2022-with-microsoft/

Here are my predictions for 2022:

“Value alignment will still be a key driver for partnerships going forward. It is crucial that we collaborate with brands and employee advocates who share similar values and visions that we do. That makes the messaging that much stronger and more authentic.”

URL for full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msmaLM1tQsg

AntKast by Ant Group: EP.06 2022 Fintech Trends, Working From Home, and Tips to Start the New Year!

url: https://anchor.fm/ant-group/episodes/EP-06-2022-Fintech-Trends--Working-From-Home--and-Tips-to-Start-the-New-Year-e1cem13

American Banker Podcast with Penny Crosman -

url: https://www.americanbanker.com/podcast/where-bankers-fall-short-on-serving-older-customers

Innotribe session on the future of payments in 2040.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL8j7ocsaSA

From banker, to consultant to author, Meaghan discusses the book launches of former bankers and consultants, Alessandro Hatami, Theodora Lau and Duncan Knowles. In the first part of the episode, the authors discuss what motivated them, their natural progression, and some of the challenges. In the second part, the authors discuss in detail where financial services are going, the need for gender equality and diversity, and who stands to be disrupted in the ever changing world of digital banking.

Theodora Lau (Theo) and Bradley Leimer, authors of the book “Beyond Good – How Technology Is Leading A Purpose-Driven Business Revolution” share how wealth managers can grow our industry by widening and deepening our pool of potential clients through the use of technology and thinking more broadly.

In the last 18 months, the Covid-19 pandemic has acted as an accelerant for changes in the banking industry, providing an opportunity for experimentation that otherwise would never have happened. Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures and co-author of 'Beyond Good' and Wilson Raj, Global Director of Customer Intelligence at SAS, speak about the fundamentals driving customers' banking behaviour and the importance of turning data into insights.

URL:… Show more

In the last 18 months, the Covid-19 pandemic has acted as an accelerant for changes in the banking industry, providing an opportunity for experimentation that otherwise would never have happened. Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures and co-author of 'Beyond Good' and Wilson Raj, Global Director of Customer Intelligence at SAS, speak about the fundamentals driving customers' banking behaviour and the importance of turning data into insights.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyEYmG8m9Xo Show less

An Inclusive Financial System goes beyond reducing the number of people with no bank accounts or with no access to credit & investment opportunities.

This is a discussion with Efi Pylarinou and Richard Turrin on fair finance principles, and using financial technology for good.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwssCK_QgWk

Keynote for FTT Embedded Finance North America 2021: Embedded Financial Inclusion

Event URL: https://www.fintechtalents.com/embedded-finance-north-america/#eluide997f307

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phC30mh23x0

URL:

https://www.fintechfutures.com/2021/09/its-time-to-put-our-heart-back-into-our-ecosystem-and-build-what-matters/

NextGen Banker podcast with David Reiling | Sunrise Banks on doing good and going beyond good.

Podcast URL and transcript:
https://sunrisebanks.com/podcast/6-podcast/

Future Proof Masterclass conversation with Diana Wu David

Feature story in PCN Magazine Vol. 7 Issue 2

https://issuu.com/teampcn/docs/pcn_magazine_q2_2021_04_1_/s/12835174

Framework with Jamie Hopkins

Podcast with Penny Crosman | American Banker on financial services going #BeyondGood

Efma-Capgemini: World FinTech Report 2021 webinar

Conversation with David Penn on Finovate TV on our new book Beyond Good - and the upcoming Finovate Spring.

Podcast recording with Scott Luton

With more people living longer lives and working longer, it is time for all of us to reimagine the road to financial resiliency.

Podcast with Jim Marous on our latest book: Beyond Good

The future of banking will be more personal and consumer focused. Video recording with IBM on how hybrid cloud can make that a reality.

Video can be found here as well: https://mediacenter.ibm.com/id/1_oelwsx2d

Cloud Talks: Conversations with Leaders - How cloud infrastructure enables Steward meet key IT priorities worldwide

CU Digital Town Hall - Episode 41

Day 4 Opening Session at DC FinTech Week 2020.

In this panel we take a look at how (and whether) the VC industry is changing, and what the country’s evolving racial discourse is likely to mean for VC and the greater fintech community.

Featuring Chinedu Enekwe, General Partner, Aux21 Capital; Adrienne A. Harris, Professor of the Practice, University of Michigan; Theodora Lau, Founder, Unconventional Ventures; Kabir Kuma, Director, Flourish Ventures; Chris Brummer, Founder, DC… Show more

Day 4 Opening Session at DC FinTech Week 2020.

In this panel we take a look at how (and whether) the VC industry is changing, and what the country’s evolving racial discourse is likely to mean for VC and the greater fintech community.

Featuring Chinedu Enekwe, General Partner, Aux21 Capital; Adrienne A. Harris, Professor of the Practice, University of Michigan; Theodora Lau, Founder, Unconventional Ventures; Kabir Kuma, Director, Flourish Ventures; Chris Brummer, Founder, DC Fintech Week. Show less

FinTECHTalents Virtual North America 2020 - Panel - Technology and Ethics

LinkedIn Live interview with Natalie Myshkina | Adobe

Podcast episode with FinTech Futures

Livestream session to explore what resiliency means in today's business landscape.

The past few months reinforce how closely linked our work and personal spheres are — and how much more we have to go to advance gender equity. The agony faced by many working parents, especially single parents and those from lower income families, show us that public policies are out of sync with reality. It is a perfect storm of race, gender, and social class.

May this be our moment of reckoning.

Interview with Luminary Labs on the forces affecting business today.

Podcast episode with Zachary Miller

Now is the time for incumbents to partner with fintechs and offer the best-in-class solutions for consumers – as we slowly emerge from the crisis and navigate towards an uncertain future. We must turn our focus back at the core of what financial services is about: It is time for purposeful fintech – one that uses technology to do good – and serve the true needs of the society – beyond a shiny user interface.

The financial services industry has been deeply impacted by today’s global pandemic, and many in the financial sector wonder if the changes and technology adoptions we are seeing today will be temporary or permanent. In this webinar, Unconventional Ventures Founder Theodora Lau and Bankrate’s banking editor Mary Wisniewski will discuss how switches to digital could cause a long-term change in behavior, whether or not fintechs will survive, and where the financial technology sector needs to… Show more

The financial services industry has been deeply impacted by today’s global pandemic, and many in the financial sector wonder if the changes and technology adoptions we are seeing today will be temporary or permanent. In this webinar, Unconventional Ventures Founder Theodora Lau and Bankrate’s banking editor Mary Wisniewski will discuss how switches to digital could cause a long-term change in behavior, whether or not fintechs will survive, and where the financial technology sector needs to focus next. Show less

Fireside chat with Jill Castilla at Money Summit by MX

Video interview at FinTechTalents 2019 on longevity, the importance of culture and diversity and how everything is all about ‘Making banking better’.

My chat with David Penn at Finovate Europe 2020 on AI, data, and diversity in fintech.

Interview ahead of the MTL Connecte in Montreal.

My thoughts on longevity, culture, and fintech innovation in the Far East - interview at FinTech Talents 2019.

Unprecedented demographic shift necessitates that we rethink our approach to money, work and life. Competing demands threaten to divide our fragmented society, where generational conflicts are beginning to strain our economic and social stability.

The startup and venture capital ecosystem may profess to be colorblind, but a look at where funding dollars are going presents a different picture.

We must work towards a future where our fate is not determined by an algorithm working in a black box.

It is time for us to act together – and turn empty words – not just hearts and minds – into action. It is not only time for us to say: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. It is now time for us to hold ourselves accountable. We must build a more inclusive ecosystem that truly includes everyone – including those who are invisible – and we must do this together.

Because the status quo is no longer acceptable.

Our industry can help consumers make better financial decisions. We can anticipate their needs and act as their personal CFO, and we can challenge what can be done. What limit us is not the technology. It's not the ones and the zeros. What limits us is our minds and our hearts to do the right thing.

Video link here:… Show more

Our industry can help consumers make better financial decisions. We can anticipate their needs and act as their personal CFO, and we can challenge what can be done. What limit us is not the technology. It's not the ones and the zeros. What limits us is our minds and our hearts to do the right thing.

Video link here: https://live.digitalbankingweek.com/?registered=true&__hstc=44620411.246897f53d3209f7fea9b08127914dd9.1564436276830.1581688605119.1582558889754.26&__hssc=44620411.2.1582558889754&__hsfp=2272458621 Show less

Each of us starts getting older the day we were born; but the cumulative effect of gender and age bias against women renders them more vulnerable to financial insecurity as they age. It is time we recognize the role that women play in caring for their families and loved ones, as well as the countless hours of under-appreciated and unpaid domestic housework. The well-being of our future selves depends on it.

Chinese translation of "When AI Becomes a Part of Our Daily Lives" - previously published with Harvard Business Review on May 2019.

Interview with Leah Kinthaert on what inspired the founding of Unconventional Ventures

We have the power to design a world where our collective voices help create better versions of humanity, where purpose becomes central to our innovations and drives our day-to-day actions. Maybe what limits us is not our technology, but our imagination to think beyond the current realm of possibilities, and our willingness to place our trust in machines.

Great ideas are powerful only if opportunities are available to develop them – just like the seeds of a plant that need sunlight, nutrients, and water to grow. While talent is equally distributed, opportunities are not...Let us work together to find a way to close the gaps that many still face, to inspire positive change in each of our communities, and to ensure that we can all aspire to a brighter future for the entirety of humanity.

The path to inclusivity is intentional and thoughtful, one through which will serve as our guidebook to address the needs of not just our own community but far beyond. As the society progresses with digital transformation, we must seek to include the invisibles of the society – the immigrants, the aged, the women, and the poor. It is by designing through their eyes and through their voices that we can meet the imperative of being truly inclusive. If we care to look deeper, we might have more in… Show more

The path to inclusivity is intentional and thoughtful, one through which will serve as our guidebook to address the needs of not just our own community but far beyond. As the society progresses with digital transformation, we must seek to include the invisibles of the society – the immigrants, the aged, the women, and the poor. It is by designing through their eyes and through their voices that we can meet the imperative of being truly inclusive. If we care to look deeper, we might have more in common than we realize. Show less

How will the future model of financial services be delivered, and how can analytical tools leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning create new forms of customer value?

On this International Women’s Day, let us not only celebrate the similarities that bring us together – but to also embrace and respect our differences, so as to become better citizens of our societies. Getting to diversity is like peeling an onion: It is painful (at times tearful), with many layers, but the goal is not unattainable. Reaching the holy grail will require consistent and conscientious efforts by all parties and all genders.

It is only through appreciating what we ALL bring… Show more

On this International Women’s Day, let us not only celebrate the similarities that bring us together – but to also embrace and respect our differences, so as to become better citizens of our societies. Getting to diversity is like peeling an onion: It is painful (at times tearful), with many layers, but the goal is not unattainable. Reaching the holy grail will require consistent and conscientious efforts by all parties and all genders.

It is only through appreciating what we ALL bring to the table – that we can thrive, as a community, a country, and as a species – together. Show less

There is much we can learn from each other, especially the youngest amongst us. And just like the jar of hope, if we keep our minds and our hearts open, magic happens.

URL: https://blogs.oracle.com/infrastructure/post/the-future-of-banking-how-ai-is-transforming-the-industry

Rather than a world controlled by machines, we see augmented intelligence as the future of AI in the enterprise, where humans retain advantage by combining our quest for knowledge with the power of algorithms, where trust and relationships are valued, where we become better versions of ourselves. We envision a future where ethical AI, deployed to improve the well-being of humanity, becomes tightly woven as part of our society at large. And we are just getting started.

As the titans dominate the smart speaker landscape, what does the future hold for fintech, financial institutions and brands?

To create and sustain change, you need people with the heart and passion to make a difference and challenge the status quo. You want someone who is willing to fight the good fight to bring the best solutions for your customers. That hunger is what drives innovation and progress.

To be successful, financial institutions need to be a reflection of the communities they serve. Only then will banks be able to create innovative solutions that address the diverse needs of their customers.

It's time for banks to step up.

Are we more trusting of technology, or have we simply become more complacent? While robots can perform a lot of the tasks that are done by humans today, what role do they play in the erosion or evolution of trust in our society? When we utter the three words: "I trust you", what does that mean?

Let’s foster a society where anyone with a great idea can have a chance to try, no matter who they are, where they live, or what social circles they belong to.

Why we need more female entrepreneurs

The current state of consumer financial health, though challenging, presents us with a unique opportunity to do well while doing good. With thoughtfulness, we can all embark on a journey together in developing new approaches to empower consumers to lead better financial lives.

Podcast with Penny Crossman, Editor at Large at American Banker, on why financial companies and fintechs should pay more attention to the over-50 crowd.

There are no easy answers when it comes to closing the gender gap. It will require persistent effort from every one of us (and all genders) in the ecosystem to be able to drive meaningful change.

Lest make aging not a story of decline, but one where we are empowered to make smart choices, so we can continue to live the life that we want.

Can we treat AI as catalyst for innovation, instead of terminator for humankind?

What if we live to 100 and beyond, what would be our "oh wow" moment when we look back?

People with passion can change the world for the better. Have you found yours?

Americans aged 50 and above are facing unprecedented financial complexity; financial services industry can help.

Massive and unique opportunities exist with the older generation. Are banks and credit unions paying attention?

Interview with Simon Cocking from Irish Tech News

Innovating for the non-millennials; Podcast with JJ Hornblass

Financial inclusion is not charity; it also makes good business sense.