Atlanta: Finastra has announced a major step forward in its artificial intelligence strategy with the launch of a centralized AI Center of Excellence (COE) and a key leadership appointment.
As Finastra continues to expand its AI-driven initiatives, the company is also scaling hiring efforts across key global technology hubs, including Atlanta and India.
Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities across the financial services industry, enabling institutions to improve efficiency, gain deeper insights, and enhance decision-making.
At Finastra, AI initiatives are already underway across engineering and product development, internal operations, and customer-facing applications, helping teams work smarter and unlocking new ways to support financial institutions worldwide.
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With these initiatives growing, Finastra is now taking a structured approach to coordinate and scale its AI capabilities.
To support this expansion, Finastra has established a centralized AI Center of Excellence (COE) that will unify expertise from across the organization.
The COE is designed to coordinate AI initiatives, share best practices, and accelerate innovation across teams. By drawing on resources from engineering, product, and other functional units, Finastra aims to create a more integrated approach to developing and deploying AI solutions at scale.
Finastra Appoints Chris McClellen as Senior Vice President and Group Head of AI
In line with this move, Finastra has appointed Chris McClellen as Senior Vice President and Group Head of AI. He will report to Mike Stawchansky, Chief Technology Officer at Finastra, and will lead the AI Center of Excellence initiative.
McClellen brings extensive experience in leading AI strategy and managing large-scale technology platforms across complex and regulated environments.
His background spans enterprise software and data platforms, with a strong track record of translating emerging technologies into practical, scalable solutions.
At Finastra, he will focus on aligning AI efforts across the organization and accelerating the development of advanced capabilities.
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Chris Walters, Chief Executive Officer of Finastra, said: “We already have a tremendous amount of AI talent and innovation across the company. Establishing the AI Center of Excellence allows us to bring that expertise together while continuing to grow it.
We’re expanding our teams and hiring in key technology hubs including Atlanta and India, combining the strength of our existing teams with new talent. AI has the potential to deliver significant value to our customers, and this structure helps us move faster and scale the work already underway across the company.”
Sharing his perspective, McClellen added: “AI presents an important opportunity for the financial services industry, and Finastra has already built a strong foundation of work across the company. I’m excited to help bring these efforts together, build on that progress, and support the continued development of AI capabilities across the organization.”
With the launch of the AI Center of Excellence and continued hiring in strategic locations, the company is positioning itself to further strengthen its AI capabilities and drive innovation across the global financial services ecosystem.
