Meet Our Top Innovators in Financial Technology for 2025

Honoring Global Leaders in Fintech

At FICO® World today, global analytics software leader FICO announced the winners of its first FICO® Decision Hero Awards, honoring pioneers who have leveraged advanced analytics to transform financial services. The four regional winners are leaders at Wells Fargo in North America, Nationwide Building Society in the UK, Bangkok Bank and Itaú Unibanco in Brazil.

These leaders embody what’s possible when bold vision meets advanced analytics. From improving credit risk and operational efficiency to fighting fraud at scale, they demonstrate the power of data-driven decisioning.

The winners will be recognized on the main stage at FICO World 2025, taking place from May 6-9, 2025, at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.

Meet the 2025 Decision Heroes

Deb Strickland (North America)

With over two decades in credit risk management, Deb Strickland has been instrumental in delivering Wells Fargo’s machine learning-driven credit decisioning strategies into production. She has led major initiatives to refine underwriting models, launch innovative new credit products, and implement portfolio risk strategies. Before joining Wells Fargo, Deb held leadership roles at PayPal and Washington Mutual, where she modernized risk assessment frameworks and integrated advanced analytics into lending decisions, helping to launch new credit products in the US and the UK. Her expertise and leadership has ensured regulatory compliance, reduced operational risk, improved risk mitigation and delivered continuous innovation in financial services.

“The best strategies and analytics are just aspirations on a slide until my team brings them to life. FICO’s tools help turn that vision into real results.”— Deb Strickland

Andy Lawrie (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)  

A leader in decision science, credit risk, and financial technology, Andy Lawrie has transformed Nationwide Building Society’s credit decisioning framework by leading its migration to FICO® Platform. This shift centralized decision-making across key product lines, improving efficiency, agility and compliance. Prior to Nationwide, Andy held senior roles at Aviva and Banco Santander, where he developed automated risk models and AI-driven credit assessments. His expertise has helped modernize decisioning systems across Europe.

“To make analytics work at scale, you need two things: clear strategy and cultural alignment. We designed our decisioning transformation not just for technology, but for the people using it.”— Andy Lawrie

Chartsiri Sophonpanich (Asia Pacific)

As President of Bangkok Bank, Chartsiri Sophonpanich has led the bank’s digital transformation and regional expansion for nearly three decades. Under his leadership, the bank used FICO’s analytics solutions to optimize risk assessment, strengthen credit decisioning, and drive AI-powered fraud detection. His strategic vision has helped Bangkok Bank and its regional subsidiaries process hundreds of thousands of digital loan approvals per month, making it one of the region’s most innovative financial institutions.

“Success in analytics is not about having the best technology—it’s about having the right mindset. We’ve embedded analytics into every decision-making layer, making it a part of how we serve customers.” — Chartsiri Sophonpanich

Ulisses Okamoto (Latin America and Caribbean)

A fraud risk management expert, Ulisses Okamoto has led Itaú Unibanco’s digital fraud strategy transformation, ensuring resilience against financial crime threats. He was instrumental in Itaú’s migration to cloud-based fraud detection, which has reduced fraud losses by over USD $20M per month and improved fraud detection rates by 20%. Before Itaú, Ulisses held senior roles at Citibank, where he helped develop AI-powered fraud models and risk mitigation strategies. His expertise in predictive analytics and fraud monitoring has strengthened Itaú’s reputation as a digital security leader.

“Fraud prevention isn’t just about risk—it’s about delivering safe, standout experiences. In today’s digital world, security shapes brand perception and business success. Ignore it, and you’ll fall behind—left out of the competition and out of the game.”— Ulisses Okamoto