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Åsljunga, United Arab Emirates

Experience

Jan 2025 - Sep 2025

9 months

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

On-site

Group CTO

Finstreet

Jul 2024 - Present

1 year 9 months

CTO / CISO

troy GmbH

Led the technology transformation of a FinTech that has re-invented debt collection.
Formulated and implemented a comprehensive technology strategy that supported and accelerated the company’s long-term business objectives.
Led initiatives to integrate cutting-edge technologies, evaluating their potential impact on efficiency and scalability.
Spearheaded innovation initiatives that drove a 45% improvement in customer relationship management efficiency by using AI to automate processes.

May 2020 - Present

5 years 11 months

Consultant Digital Transformation & Trading Technology

Lundqvist.tech

Strategic consultant at CxO level for several banks & NeoBrokers on digital banking, innovation & agile transformation and trading technology change programs (e-FX, FIS Front Arena, Murex).
Consultant to COO Markets at a Tier 1 bank on strategic transformation projects.
Delivery manager for a fintech: built from scratch an online digital banking & trading platform for securities, crypto, FX & CFDs using APIs, FIX protocol, Kafka, containers, AWS, SaaS and cloud services.
Advisor on digital transformation at a bank.
Project manager for a FIS Front Arena Platform 2021.3.5 upgrade.
Consultant for NeoBank on digital banking & agile transformation, TechOps reorganization and SDLC review.
Reviewed innovation processes and provided strategic advice on agile methods.

Dec 2016 - Dec 2019

3 years 1 month

Copenhagen, Denmark

Director - Head of e-FX & Trade Processing Technology

Nordea Markets

Led all FICC technology & digital strategy, development and operations teams for capital markets & treasury, including forex front & middle office.
Developed and delivered a world-class FX trading platform, achieving best e-FX platform in Scandinavia.
Built, led and mentored 7 teams totaling over 60 people across 6 countries; re-built a highly available FX technology platform.
Implemented customer FX algo suite, AutoFX and APIs.
Managed C-level stakeholder relationships, technology vision, operations, software development, testing and infrastructure for over 30 business-critical applications.
Ensured platforms were resilient, scalable, performant and secure; responsible for digital channels, APIs, liquidity aggregators, price streaming, trade management, execution and distribution, algo engines, real-time position, liquidity & risk management, auto hedging, post-trade workflows, cash management, payments, collateral, settlements and RPA.
Ensured regulatory compliance (MiFID2, Global Code, PSD2).
Achieved factor 5 availability increase in 9 months by introducing design for failure.
Reduced issue investigation times 8× by implementing Splunk.
Saved 20% on infrastructure costs via hardware refresh and new data centre; reduced costs by €1M/year replacing OMS in 6 months.
Decommissioned 20 legacy components and replaced 30 low-latency components with new microservices.
Delivered first customer FX algo execution offering in Scandinavia in 7 months, generating new revenue stream.
First in Scandinavia to offer FX APIs via Open Banking and developed AutoFX for corporate cash management (won innovation award).

Nov 2015 - Nov 2016

1 year 1 month

Zürich, Switzerland

Delivery Manager Murex – Securities and Treasury Ops IT

Credit Suisse

Led Murex MX.3 development and operations, in-house components and mainframe treasury system with cross-discipline teams in CH, US and India.
Managed 2nd/3rd level support, business analysis, development, QA and deployment teams.
Engaged with senior business stakeholders; managed program setup, scoping, structuring and execution.
Ensured continuation of systemically important functions in case of threatened insolvency.
Increased software development efficiency by 30% and code stability by coaching technical teams.
Introduced Lean/Kanban and reorganized SDLC process.
Achieved 50% reduction in production incidents after 6 months.

Mar 2015 - Oct 2015

8 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Chief Operating Officer (Ad Interim)

Lykke AG

Co-founded fintech to build a global crypto exchange using DLT & blockchain for digital asset issuance and trading.

Jul 2013 - Feb 2015

1 year 8 months

Oslo, Norway

Manager - Merger and Acquisition

Oslo Clearing ASA SIX-Group

Managed acquisition and merger of Oslo Clearing ASA by SIX x-clear AG.
Engaged with board & C-level stakeholders; chaired steering committees; conducted due diligence.
Coordinated 12 workgroups with 16 direct and ~35 indirect reports across functions.
Managed regulatory permits (EMIR, cross-border licences, FINMA, SNB, Norwegian authorities).
Executed merger with approvals by SNB, FINMA, Ministry of Finance (NO) and FSA on May 1.
Defined technical strategy & integrated two clearing platforms; moved to private cloud hosting.
Transferred all customers to the new legal entity.

Barcelona, Spain

Chief Information Officer & Co-Founder

BrainIT

Co-founded biotech to develop a brain–computer interface using ML and AI to control a computer by brain activity.

Ispra, Italy

Project Manager and Researcher

European Commission - Joint Research Centre

Project manager and researcher at nuclear research plant (ESTI and ISIS).
Developed adaptive brain interface device with multiple patents; demonstrated prototype at conferences and on CNN & BBC.
Designed and built a high-precision laser beamed induced current photovoltaic cell scanning system with <5 µm precision.

Corsico, Italy

Manager – Customer IT Services

IKEA

Built and led customer IT service department.
Designed and implemented IKEA's first home delivery service.

Neuchâtel, Switzerland

CIO

MIG Bank SA

Reported to CEO; built corporate IT team from 2 to 70 people in 1 year.
Managed trading technology and corporate IT; defined global technology strategy, platform roadmap and SDLC.
Led support, operations, infrastructure and development teams.
Defined outsourcing strategies, RFQs, vendor selection, contracts, SLAs.
Managed prime broker and liquidity provider relationships, liquidity management and automatic hedging.
Built stable FX environment for >60,000 clients and >240,000 transactions/day.
Increased profits by 30% via real-time exposure & risk management system for FX and CFDs.
Developed FIX and RESTful connectivity APIs and customer post-trade reporting.
Developed SOA platform integrating trading platforms, liquidity providers, core banking, CRM, risk and reporting.
Implemented core banking system (FIS Ambit) in <1 year; supported Swiss banking license process.

Zürich, Switzerland

Head - Cross-Asset Single Dealer Platform & APIs

Zürcher Kantonalbank

Led design and development of a greenfield cross-asset online trading platform “eTrading Pro” for structured products, forex and securities.
Built and led 6 teams totaling over 120 people across development, structured products, FX, securities, common services and IT infrastructure.
Defined technology strategy, vendor selection and relationships; owned budgets, operational risk, compliance, legal, SLAs.
Designed business processes, UX and client requirements.
Delivered platform on time and budget; introduced agile methodology, reducing program duration by 30%.
Rebuilt structured products backend from request-reply to streaming real-time architecture.
Led conception of a single cross-asset service organisation.

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Banking and Finance (12.5 years) and Information Technology (0.5 years).

Banking and Finance

Information Technology

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Information Technology (10.5 years), Project Management (7 years), Strategy (6 years), Operations (5 years), Product Development (3.5 years), and Investments and M&A (1.5 years).

Information Technology

Project Management

Strategy

Operations

Product Development

Investments and M&A

Summary

Seasoned Chief Technical Officer with 20+ years of experience in digital transformation and trading technology within banking and fintech sectors, adept at leading teams of over 120 individuals and enhancing operational efficiencies, demonstrated by achieving 8x faster issue investigation and 20% cost savings. Successfully built IT infrastructure for a Swiss bank from scratch and delivered leading FX trading platforms, underscoring expertise in technology development and innovation.

Skills

Technical Skills

Google Cloud
Aws
Azure
It Procurement
Emerging Technologies
Scalability
Continuous Improvement
Agility
Technology Strategies
Cloud Technologies
Programming Languages
Reliability
Visionary
Data Security
Software Engineering
Treasury Management System
Trading Technology
Ultra-low Latency
Delivery Budget
Project Management & Execution
Professional Services
Agile Methodologies

Leadership

Workflows
Security Compliance
Global Operations
Business Goals
Mentorship
Accountability
Recruitment
Ownership
Cost Efficiency
Technology Leadership
Effective Communication
Agile Leadership
Security Risk
Talent Management
Financial Acumen
Data
Analytics
Cybersecurity
Strategic Thinking
Business Acumen
Communication
Business Partnership & Collaboration

Languages

English

Advanced

Italian

Advanced

Danish

Intermediate

German

Elementary

Spanish

Elementary

...and 2 more

Education

European Commission

MBA, Entrepreneurship · Entrepreneurship · Brussels, Belgium

European School

European Baccalaureate · Economics, Languages & Computer Science · Varese, Italy

Università degli Studi di Milano

Bachelor of Science · Computer Science · Milan, Italy

Certifications & licenses

Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 5 Agilist

Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 5 Product Owner Product Manager

Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 4 Product Owner Product Manager

Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 4 Agilist

Certified Scrum Master

Front Arena Certified Application Manager

Capital Markets Training for Technical Staff

Profile

Created

June 2024

Last Update

January 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Mikael based?

Mikael is based in Åsljunga, United Arab Emirates and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Mikael speak?

Mikael speaks the following languages: English (Advanced), Italian (Advanced), Danish (Intermediate), German (Elementary), Spanish (Elementary), Dutch (Elementary), Norwegian (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Mikael have?

Mikael has at least 12 years of experience. During this time, Mikael has worked in at least 7 different roles and for 7 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 9 months. Note that Mikael may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Mikael be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Mikael would be well-suited for roles such as: Group CTO, CTO / CISO, Consultant Digital Transformation & Trading Technology.

What is Mikael's latest experience?

Mikael's most recent position is Group CTO at Finstreet.

What companies has Mikael worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Mikael has worked for Finstreet, troy GmbH, and Lundqvist.tech.

Which industries is Mikael most experienced in?

Mikael is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance and Information Technology (IT).

Which business areas is Mikael most experienced in?

Mikael is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Project Management, and Strategy and Planning. Mikael also has some experience in Operations, Product Development, Investments, and M&A & Venture Capital.

Which industries has Mikael worked in recently?

Mikael has recently worked in industries like Banking and Finance.

Which business areas has Mikael worked in recently?

Mikael has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Strategy and Planning, and Project Management.

What is Mikael's education?

Mikael holds a Master in Entrepreneurship from European Commission and a Bachelor in Computer Science from Università degli Studi di Milano.

Does Mikael have any certificates?

Mikael has 7 certificates. Among them, these include: Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 5 Agilist, Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 5 Product Owner Product Manager, and Scaled Agile Certified SAFe 4 Product Owner Product Manager.

What is the availability of Mikael?

Mikael is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Mikael?

Mikael's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.