Nikhil Jarunde currently serves as a Finance Project Manager at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), bringing over 12 years of extensive experience in the financial services industry. Throughout his distinguished career, Nikhil has been recognized with numerous accolades for his significant contributions. One of the notable highlights of Nikhil’s career is his successful delivery of multiple projects related to building trading algorithms for US derivatives markets. By leveraging AI, machine learning, NLP, and advanced data analytics tools, these projects have resulted in substantial profits and driven significant company growth. In 2022, Nikhil graduated with an advanced MBA degree in Finance from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. During his MBA, he actively participated in extracurricular activities, including winning case competitions and representing Boston University on a global platform. His team won the Battle of the Boutiques Venture Capital case competition, where he played a key role as a strategist overseeing growth projections and M&A strategies. Additionally, his team, the Seaweed Investment Fund (SWIF), was a Top 4 finalist at the Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainability Investment Challenge 2022 where 251 students participated from 51 schools and 35 countries forming 77 teams. Here, Nikhil was responsible for building financial strategies for growth, including a financial model to outline revenue and growth forecasts, budget planning, and resource allocations. Nikhil’s professional background includes experience with major tech companies like Amazon, where he was a key team member in facilitating weekly and monthly financial reviews with clients and business partners, and in presenting recommendations on vendor terms improvement, operational costs reduction, strategic decisions and planned future initiatives for Amazon Transportation Services (ATS). Over the last several years, he has published 20 papers in reputable international journals on topics such as Finance Derivatives Markets, AI, Machine Learning, Advanced Data Analytics, Microsoft Copilot, Bitcoin ETFs, Risk Management, Compliance, Regulations and ESG Finance in reputable international journals (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikhil-Jarunde), earning industry-wide recognition through numerous letters of appreciation. Recently, he was honored with the ‘2024 Global Recognition Award’ for exceptional contributions to the financial services industry. His work has been featured in two press articles, with three more in progress. As a finance leader, Nikhil’s vision is to drive strategic financial decision-making through data-driven insights, foster cross-functional collaboration, and ensure financial sustainability. He aims to cultivate a culture of innovation and efficiency, aligning financial goals with broader organizational objectives for long-term success. These achievements and his commitment to excellence make him a distinguished figure in the financial services industry.