Lee Rowell
Irving,TX
Summary
Accomplished risk management professional with over two decades of experience in financial services. Specializes in developing, implementing, and managing risk management frameworks. Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams, streamlining processes and controls, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to achieve exceptional results. Effective communicator of complex risk issues to senior management, fostering a culture of risk awareness across organizations.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Manager - Enterprise Risk Management
SmartBiz Loans
02.2022 - Current
- Maintained and safeguarded the company’s strategic business plan and regulatory documentation, ensuring readiness and compliance for acquisition approval processes.
- Worked with the CRO to develop and implement a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, aligning risk appetite statements and risk policies with strategic objectives to enhance organizational resilience and regulatory compliance.
- Led enterprise-wide risk assessments, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative risk analysis to identify, evaluate, and prioritize strategic, operational, financial, compliance, and reputational risks.
- Worked with the CRO to design and maintain risk heat maps, key risk indicators (KRIs), and risk dashboards to monitor risk exposure, track mitigation effectiveness, and support executive decision-making.
- Collaborated with Internal Audit and Compliance teams to conduct control assessments, integrate audit findings, and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.
- Managed the ERM database and reporting, consolidating risk inventories, loss events, and key metrics for quarterly presentations to the Board Risk Committee and senior management.
Program Manager - Product Development and Implementation
Brink’s Inc
09.2019 - 09.2021
- Led cross-functional teams through the entire new product introduction (NPI) lifecycle, proactively identifying and mitigating risks related to market alignment, technical feasibility, supply chain reliability, and manufacturing scalability.
- Developed and maintained comprehensive risk registers, facilitating regular risk review meetings to ensure early identification, ownership assignment, and mitigation of evolving risks throughout product development.
- Designed and executed enterprise rollout plans for new products and services, including detailed task execution, stakeholder communication, and real-time progress monitoring using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as adoption rates and customer satisfaction.
Program Manager - Implementation Management
Exigo Office
11.2014 - 06.2019
- Led the end-to-end implementation of Exigo’s solutions for enterprise clients, overseeing project scoping, risk identification, and mitigation strategies to ensure secure, compliant, and timely deployments.
- Conducted comprehensive risk assessments for each client implementation, analyzing vendor reliability, data privacy, and compliance requirements, and tailoring risk response strategies to client-specific needs.
- Managed incident response and recovery plans, coordinating swift containment and restoration efforts in partnership with cloud service providers, and led post-incident reviews to refine risk management protocols.
Program Manager - Strategic Initiatives
Exeter Finance Corp
12.2012 - 11.2014
- Directed Risk Mitigation for $4M Loan Origination System Conversion: Oversaw the risk assessment and mitigation strategies during a major system conversion, ensuring data integrity, regulatory compliance, and business continuity throughout the transition.
- Process Optimization and Operational Risk Reduction: Collaborated with strategic partners to streamline origination processes, resulting in reduced operational risk, significant expense reduction, and a dramatic decrease in loan processing time (from hours to seconds).
- Agile Risk Controls Implementation: Utilized a modified Agile methodology to introduce iterative risk controls, enabling continuous process improvement and rapid response to emerging risks in loan origination workflows.
Servicing Delivery Manager
Santander Consumer USA Inc.
12.2010 - 10.2012
- Managed a portfolio of cross-functional projects in Accounting, Loan Servicing, and Marketing, with a strong focus on identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational risks during periods of rapid organizational growth and internal process transformation.
- Directed risk-based planning and execution for 7 Agile and 2 Waterfall development teams, ensuring operational risk controls and compliance requirements were integrated into all project phases.
- Demonstrated ability to proactively identify process gaps, analyze root causes, and implement effective risk mitigation strategies across multiple teams and business units, resulting in improved process reliability and reduced operational losses.
Service Delivery Manager
Bank of America
08.2004 - 12.2010
- Directed strategic planning initiatives to identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks across multiple business lines, including Commercial Lending, Business Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Asset Lending, Dealer Financial Services, Commercial Real Estate, and Private Banking.
- Conducted comprehensive reviews of legacy and acquired systems to evaluate risk exposure and define a risk-based strategic roadmap for system consolidation following mergers and acquisitions.
- Led and participated in end-to-end system conversion projects for major mergers and acquisitions, overseeing risk assessments, control design, and user acceptance testing to ensure seamless integration and minimal disruption to business operations.
Education
BS - Psychology
Evangel University
Skills
- Operational risk management
- Enterprise risk management
- Risk Identification, Assessment & Mitigation
- Issue Management & Reporting
- Policy & Procedure Development
- Risk Control Self-Assessment (RCSA)
- Risk Appetite Statement (RAS) and Risk Appetite Metrics (RAM)
- Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
- Data Analysis
Certification
- PMP, Project Management Professional
- Six Sigma Certifications
- Operational Risk Management Certificate
- Certificate in Lending Compliance
- Certificate in Risk Management Frameworks
Timeline
Senior Manager - Enterprise Risk Management
SmartBiz Loans
02.2022 - Current
Program Manager - Product Development and Implementation
Brink’s Inc
09.2019 - 09.2021
Program Manager - Implementation Management
Exigo Office
11.2014 - 06.2019
Program Manager - Strategic Initiatives
Exeter Finance Corp
12.2012 - 11.2014
Servicing Delivery Manager
Santander Consumer USA Inc.
12.2010 - 10.2012
Service Delivery Manager
Bank of America
08.2004 - 12.2010
BS - Psychology
Evangel University
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