Rafael Roldan Escandon

Cybersecurity & Digital Banking Executive with 25+ years securing financial ecosystems. I help financial institutions bridge the gap between technology, security, and business growth — without sacrificing speed or compliance. Senior consulting and executive roles at two of Mexico's largest banks — Citibanamex and BBVA — delivering enterprise cybersecurity, Digital Banking platforms, and Identity & Access Management solutions aligned with regulatory and business objectives.

Open to senior roles in Mexico, LATAM & remote international

VP IT Security for Digital Channels at Citibanamex (2020-04 – Present)

Delivery Manager for end-to-end projects requested by Global IT Tech and InfoSec teams. Responsible for detailed implementations with local IT, business units, and global teams — ensuring business needs are met from design through final delivery. Managed technological gaps and provided transformation roadmaps for project visibility at HQ.

• Delivered post-authentication controls using Transmit, Threat Metrix, BioCatch, and IBM PinPoint — achieving an estimated 10% fraud reduction for Digital Corporate Banking including PYMES clients, equivalent to over $5M USD in customer savings
• Led the customer authentication roadmap managing a $2.6M USD annual budget
• Served as SME for the new BancaNet Empresarial platform on AWS, integrating event-driven architecture with Kafka topics, API layers, and UNISYS backends
• Technologies implemented: Transmit Security Server (SDK/API), Threat Metrix, IBM PinPoint Detect, ArcSight, BioCatch

VP Fraud Prevention — Authentication & Digital Channels at Citibanamex (2016-08 – 2020-03)

Key stakeholder for the Fraud Prevention unit in Mexico, aligning Digital Business (corporate and individual) with Fraud Risk Management Standards. Served as business partner and committee approver in risk forums, evaluating fraud scenarios and ensuring risk appetite alignment with business strategy.

• Led fraud risk analysis on Digital Wallets (Samsung Pay, Citibanamex Pay, Apple Pay) — achieving 150M+ downloads and a 5% increase in card billing representing $1.5M USD in year one
• Stakeholder for CoDi (interbank mobile payments) — exceeded authentication controls and reduced fraud while improving customer experience
• Unified disputes process for credit and debit products, resulting in a 30% increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Director Information Security (CISO) — Digital Banking at BBVA (2015-01 – 2016-01)

Ensured compliance of new projects with BBVA Information Security Framework. SME for CNBV, Banco de Mexico, and international regulators. Developed Security Project Evaluation methodology based on PCI, ISO 27001, and NIST standards using AGILE methodology.

• Developed BBVA Wallet specifications — drove 150M+ downloads and a 7% e-commerce turnover increase in 2015
• Defined the framework for remote digital account opening, enabling virtual card delivery to smartphones — generating 100,000+ N2 new accounts in Q1 2016
• Obtained CNBV approval for Bancomer SMS as alternative fund transfer method — increased individual transfers by 20% and enrolled 40%+ of existing account holders
• Coordinated API platform integrating cloud services with BBVA core banking, generating ~$100,000 USD in fees in 2016

Director — Project Risk Assessment at BBVA (2012-04 – 2014-12)

Integrated security controls based on corporate models during project lifecycles, collaborating with design and development teams in Mexico, the USA, and LATAM. Presented projects to the Global Committee of Risk, Fraud, and Security for ratification.

• Implemented Novell Identity Manager across 7 countries — from draft through production deployment (multi-regional IAM foundation for 60,000+ workstations)
• Integrated Mexico into BBVA's Google Cloud collaboration model — reducing phone costs by 13% and travel expenses by 35% for 17,000 employees and 12,000 providers
• Defined government model for the collaborative platform, obtaining CNBV endorsement

VP Security Engineering at BBVA (2007-08 – 2012-03)

Aligned InfoSec Mexico baseline with corporate models. Acted as Level 2 support for IT security operations globally.

• Developed SOC services to identify external threats across web portals, email, and internet services
• Built authentication strategies using central LDAP repositories, supporting CNBV compliance
• Consolidated user authentication with OS/390 RACF for Windows, UNIX, and internet applications
• Technologies: IBM Tivoli Access Manager, Sun LDAP, RSA Envision (SIEM), McAfee Suite, Tripwire, Symantec EndPoint & DLP

IT Consultant at BBVA (1993-03 – 2007-03)

Aligned technology strategies across DBA, SysAdmin, Networking, IT Architecture, and Web Development to support new IT initiatives.

• Developed Bancomer's Datawarehouse and query tools, supporting MIS teams with cubes, data mining, and ETL processes
• Led migration to web-based model integrating OS/390 and UNIX application servers

Cybernetics Engineering & Computer Science – La Salle University (1987 – 1992)

School of Senior Management – IPADE (2015)