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4th Annual Technology Workshop - Implementing Technology to Improve Decision Making: Where are we now?

February 16, 2022

Virtual

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  • The Fourth Annual Technology Workshop, organized by World Bank Group Financing and Accounting (WFA), Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) and Information and Technology Solutions (ITS), will be held on February 16, 2022 via WebEx, under the theme “Fourth Annual Technology Workshop: Implementing Technology to Improve Decision Making: Where are we now?”

    The Technology Workshop is held annually as a means to share knowledge and new technology initiatives geared towards supporting operations, with this year’s edition focusing on data for decision making.

    Participants can look forward to the following sessions: VP opening remarks from WFA,OPCS and ITS Vice Presidents , Lightning Talk presentations of ongoing technological initiatives, Director panel discussions, external guest speakers from academia and industry, interactive sessions with the audience and breakout sessions.

    Recording will be made available after the event.

  • 8:40 – 8:55 AM:  Opening Remarks  

    • Pam O’Connell – Vice President and WBG Controller, World Bank Group Finance and Accounting (WFA)
    • Ed Mountfield – Vice President, Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS)
    • Denis Robitaille – Vice President and WBG Chief Information Officer, Information and Technology Solutions (ITS)

    8:55 – 9:25 AM:  Lightning Talks

    • Are we on target for better procurement results? Transforming data into insights for better management
    • Blockchain for Disbursement Traceability
    • Project360 – A flexible platform for digital project management at the Bank
    • Disruptive KIDS (Knowledge, Information & Data Services) Helpdesk
    • Disbursement projections through Client Connection and Integration with Operations Portal 
    • Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning: A Journey, Not Just a Destination 

    9:25 – 9:35 AM:  Virtual Break

    9:35 – 9:45 AM:  Interactive Discussion 

    Feedback on Lightning Talks – via Poll Everywhere

    9:45 – 10:05 AM:  Director’s Panel - Reactions

    Panel: 

    • Robert J. Saum – Director, OPCS Financial Management
    • Junxue Chu – Director, WFA Trust Funds and Loans
    • Rahyab Lari – Director, ITS Operations and Corporate
    • Enzo De Laurentiis – Chief Procurement Officer, OPCS Procurement

    10:05 – 10:45 AM:  Guest Speakers' Keynote Speech and Audience Discussion

    • Dr. Miklos A. Vasarhelyi – KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accounting Information Systems and Director of the Rutgers Accounting Research Center (RARC) & Continuous Auditing and Reporting Laboratory (CARLAB) at Rutgers University
    • Tony Masone – Vice President, Treasurer, Amazon

    10:45 – 10:55 AM:  Closing remarks

    • Cristina Felix – Manager, ITS Operations Solutions (ITSOP) 
    • Michael Ochieng – Manager, WFA Client Services (WFACS)
    • Roberto Tarallo – Manager, OPCS Financial Management, Anticorruption, and UN Agencies (OPSFM)

    10:55 – 11:00 AM:  Forum Close and Introduction to the Technical Sessions in Breakout Rooms

    To join, go to Breakout Rooms tab for meeting room links

     

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    Dr. Miklos A. Vasarhelyi

    KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accounting Information Systems and Director of the Rutgers Accounting Research Center (RARC) & Continuous Auditing and Reporting Laboratory (CARLAB)

    Miklos A. Vasarhelyi [Ph.D in MIS (UCLA) MBA (MIT) and BS in Economics and Electrical Engineering (the State University of Guanabara and Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro)]. Professor Vasarhelyi is currently the KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accounting Information Systems and Director of the Rutgers Accounting Research Center (RARC) & Continuous Auditing and Reporting Laboratory (CARLAB) at Rutgers University. He has published more than 200 journal articles,20 books, and directed over 45 PhD theses. He is the editor of the Artificial Intelligence in Accounting and Auditing series and the Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. Professor Vasarhelyi is credited with the original continuous audit application and as the leading researcher in this field. The CAR Lab’s projects include among others AICPA’s Radar, Siemens, KPMG, P&G, AICPA, CA Technologies, and Itau-Unibanco. Prof. Vasarhelyi has been awarded the Outstanding Educator of the year by the AAA in 2014, AICPA distinguished scholar in 2018, notable contributions to the accounting literature in 2021, and the Wasserman award by ISACA in 2013.

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    Tony Masone

    Vice President, Treasurer, Amazon

    Tony leads Amazon’s Treasury and Enterprise Risk Management organization, overseeing the teams responsible for Cash Management, Trading & Investments, Capital Markets, Control, Global Risk Management, Global Claims Management, Internal Audit, Denied Party Screening, and Treasury & Risk Technology. Prior to joining Amazon, Tony worked at General Electric for 17 years, managing treasury functions for commercial real estate, commercial finance, and global banking before being promoted to Industrial Treasurer, where he oversaw treasury functions for GE’s seven largest operating units: aviation, medical, power, gas & oil, rail, appliances, and lighting. He has also worked at KPMG Peat Marwick, PepsiCo, Air Express International, and Kraft Foods Group. Tony has a B.S. in Accounting from Roger Williams University and an MBA from the University of New Haven. When he’s not building the digital Treasury and Enterprise Risk Management organization of the future, you can find him refereeing soccer for disabled youth, cooking Italian feasts for his family, and trying to keep his chocolate lab Gatsby from interrupting his video calls.

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    Denis Robitaille

    World Bank Group Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information & Technology Solutions

    Mr. Robitaille is the World Bank Group Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information & Technology Solutions. He manages the Bank Group’s information management and technology portfolio, which is tightly linked with the institutions’ overall strategic direction. ITS enables the WBG to achieve its mission of ending extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity in a sustainable way by delivering transformative information and technologies to its staff working in over 150 locations. His focus is on implementing the ITS digital transformation strategy that aligns information and technology resources in support of Bank Group objectives and priorities and facilitates digital innovation for a growing portfolio of client engagements. The implementation of the strategy is guided by three core principles. The first is to deliver solutions for business partners that are customer-centric, innovative, and transformative. The second is to provide the Bank Group with value for money with selective and standard technologies. The third principle is to excel at the basics by providing a high performing, robust, and resilient IT environment for the organization.

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    Pam O’Connell

    Vice President for Finance and World Bank Group Controller

    Pam O’Connell is Vice President for Finance and World Bank Group Controller since January 2022. In this role, Ms. O’Connell has oversight over all aspects of financial operations, financial reporting, and internal control framework for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), and the extensive trust fund/joint venture portfolio of these entities. She also leads the client service function for the World Bank Group accounting and business services and trust funds. Ms. O’Connell, a US national, has strong expertise leading teams in accounting, auditing, operational risk, and internal controls and bringing experience in talent development, corporate governance, and information technology-enabled transformation. She represents the Bank externally as a member of the Advisory Council of the Value Reporting Foundation and is an elected Executive Director of the Bank Fund Staff Federal Credit Union with over $5billion in assets, serving her fifth year.

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    Ed Mountfield

    Vice President, Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), World Bank

    Ed Mountfield is Vice President for Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) at the World Bank. In this role, he works across all regions on the programming, coordination, and delivery of the Bank’s country services, including project and program financing, and advisory services and analytics. He oversees the World Bank’s corporate policies on operations and country engagement and supports the management of risks in operations. A British and Irish national, he has over 25 years of professional experience in development, economics, finance, policy making and leadership. His experience in regional operations and finance spans over 30 countries and all seven regions of the World Bank.

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    Rahyab Lari

    Director and Chief Information Officer, ITS Operations and Corporate (ITSOC), World Bank

    Mr. Rahyab Lari is the Director and CIO of Operations & Corporate at the World Bank Group. He is responsible for application delivery and management for the frontline and corporate business functions of the World Bank, focusing on digital transformation, data and analytics, productivity and collaboration, and other key business functions. Prior to joining the World Bank Group in 1999, Mr. Lari worked in the IT private sector, including at SAP.

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    Junxue Chu

    Director, World Bank Group Finance and Accounting

    Junxue joined the Bank in March 1999 as Finance Officer in Beijing Office. He has since held various positions, and worked on different country portfolio across the regions, policy analysis and system projects. As a Loans Manager, he led the team to support the Bank’s Operations and borrowers on loan origination and disbursements, project preparation and implementation. June plays a critical role in many corporate initiatives including LIBOR transition, simplification and automation of loan processes, and adoption of innovative technologies. Junxue was appointed as Director, Loan and Trust Fund Operations Department in World Bank Finance and accounting in February 2021. Since then, He has served as a key member of the Vice Presidency's Leadership Team, and his top three priorities includes: 1) provide strategic leadership in the area of trust funds/loans operations and ensure high quality products and services are delivered to our clients, 2) pursue operational effectiveness and efficiencies through process optimization, simplification, and automation, and 3) provide leadership and support for WFA and corporate initiatives.

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    Robert J. Saum

    Director, Standards, Procurement and Financial Management (OPSPF), World Bank

    Bob is Director for Standards, Procurement and Financial Management in Operational Policy and Country Services (OPCS). In the South Asia Region, he served as Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, Director for Regional Integration and Partnerships and, based in Kabul, as Country Director for Afghanistan and Bhutan. Earlier he was Adviser in the Office of the Managing Director, a Manager for Financial Management, a Lead Financial Management Specialist (FMS) in the East Asia Region and a Senior FMS in the New Delhi office. He joined the Loan Department of the World Bank in 1998 as an FMS. Bob lived in Pakistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and East Jerusalem working for NGOs. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA), having started his career with Ernst & Young in the US and London. His career has focused on leading diverse teams in complex environments through periods of reform and uncertainty. He holds a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

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    Enzo De Laurentiis

    Chief Procurement Officer, OPCS Procurement, World Bank

    Enzo de Laurentiis is the World Bank’s Chief Procurement Officer, in the Operations Policy and Country Services Vice-Presidency. Previously, he served as Manager of the Procurement Policy Unit in the same Vice-Presidency, as a Practice Manager in the Governance Global Practice, and as the Regional Procurement Manager for the East Asia and Pacific and the Latin America and Caribbean Regions of the World Bank. Prior to joining the World Bank as Procurement Specialist in 1998, Mr. de Laurentiis was Projects Director and later Vice President of an international consulting firm providing advisory services on procurement to Multilateral Development Banks, countries and the private sector. Mr. de Laurentiis has been a member of the adjunct faculty at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., from 1992 to 2004, teaching international contracts and international procurement law. He has also prior legal and international banking experience. Mr. de Laurentiis holds a law degree (Dottore in Giurisprudenza) from the University of Trieste in Italy and a Masters of Laws (LL.M.) in International Legal Studies from American University Washington College of Law.

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    Moderator: Simon Fowler

    Master of Ceremonies and Independent Consultant

    Simon is a British national and strategic leader with over 30 years of international experience in the development, investment, and commercial banking arenas. Based in Washington D.C and London while operating internationally, Simon now provides a unique brand of custom event design, facilitation, moderation, and teambuilding services to corporate clients. He offers customized solutions in the following: Virtual and In-person Event design, planning, facilitation & Master of Ceremonies services for small to large groups (10-750+); Plenary and Panel Moderation; Teambuilding event design and implementation; Team and individual coaching. Simon can be reached at: www.linkedin.com/in/simonvfowler

EVENT DETAILS

  • DATE: February 16, 2022
  • TIME: 8:30-11:00 AM EST
  • Venue: Virtual (via WebEx)
  • CONTACT: Ines Melissa Etty and Leah Nyambe Muliokela 
  • techworkshop@worldbank.org