Jessi Szurek: The Future of Trusted AI in Finance | Ep 1246

Summary

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The Digital Executive: Jessi Szurek – The Future of Trusted AI in Finance | Ep 1246

Date: May 7, 2026
Host: Brian, Coruzant Technologies
Guest: Jessi Szurek, Associate Partner at Synthesis

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Episode Overview

This episode features Jessi Szurek, Associate Partner at Synthesis, diving into the complex realities of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the financial sector. Szurek shares how bridging the gap between AI ambition and implementation requires robust data governance, human-centered design, and a paradigm shift in consulting—from dependency to empowerment. The discussion zeroes in on what sets durable, future-proof transformations apart from those that simply deploy technology without real buy-in, especially in highly regulated environments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Consulting as an Agent of Change

(02:09–04:18)

• Szurek’s Path:

  • With over 17 years in global transformation across 40+ countries, Szurek describes how clients repeatedly need consultants as “agents of change”—a capacity many cannot fulfill alongside their primary roles.
  • Quote:

    "Clients need an agent of change and that's nearly impossible to do on the side of your desk while running in a full time role within a financial institution."
    (02:46, Jessi Szurek)

• Discovery of Patterns:

  • Szurek observed recurring issues in transformation projects, driven by consulting models that profit from ongoing ambiguity rather than solved outcomes.

  • Critical Insight:

    • True transformation isn’t about the best technical solution—it's about leadership alignment, stakeholder buy-in, and user advocacy.

    "The hardest part of any transformation isn't the technology or even the strategy, it's getting the leadership aligned... the person sitting in front of you doesn't understand why it exists or hasn't bought into the solution, it's useless."
    (03:33, Jessi Szurek)

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2. Builder Mentality at Synthesis vs. Traditional Consulting

(05:09–06:58)

• Shifting the Consulting Model:

  • Traditional consulting often incentivizes client dependency; Synthesis aims to equip clients for self-sufficiency.

  • Outcome-based delivery is at the center—focused on results, not billable hours.

    "Synthesis is structured with the opposite goal. To increase the client's return on investment and decrease their reliance on us."
    (05:20, Jessi Szurek)

• Real-world Example:

  • At a major Japanese securities firm, Synthesis mapped over 1.6 million annual work hours, identifying AI opportunities that could cut workloads by over 50% and free more than 65,000 hours a year.

  • Memorable Point:

    • AI is not just a supportive tool but actively executes work, prompting a full redesign of operational models.

    "AI is no longer just a tool that supports work, it's increasingly becoming something that executes work. And that changes the role of consulting entirely."
    (06:21, Jessi Szurek)

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3. Human-centered Design Thinking in AI Transformation

(07:40–10:06)

• Why Design Thinking Matters:

  • Building the “right” thing, not just building, is vital—especially in financial services where failure has regulatory and operational risks.

  • Empathy Mapping:

    • Involving compliance officers, risk analysts, and end users to map the actual workflows—not just the documented ones—is critical.
    • Shadow tech, workarounds, and overlooked informal processes often drive daily reality.

    "The documented process is never the actual process. It's always missing something or many things ... the offline Excel spreadsheet ... shadow tech ... instant messages ... blockers because one person is sick or they're on holiday ... that's the real workflow."
    (08:56, Jessi Szurek)

• User Adoption as a Design Activity:

  • Adoption must be built from the start, not added at the end; buy-in comes when users feel like the system was made for them.

    "User adoption isn't an activity you do at the end. It's not a launch activity, it's a design activity."
    (09:44, Jessi Szurek)

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4. The Future: Data, AI, and Operating Model Evolution in Financial Services

(11:02–12:17)

• Success Factors for Tomorrow’s Institutions:

  • Winners will treat data as a strategic asset before deploying AI—prioritizing governance, lineage, and infrastructure to satisfy regulators and enable true trust in data.

    "The institutions that succeed will be the ones that treat data as a strategic asset before the AI ... AI doesn't work inside siloed organizations with unclear ownership and undocumented data flows."
    (11:07, Jessi Szurek)

  • The ability to monitor, trace, and audit data flows distinguishes durable AI adoption from failures.

    "Most AI initiatives don't fail because of tech, but because organizations don't redesign how they operate ... the successor won't have the best model, they'll have the best foundation underneath it."
    (11:56, Jessi Szurek)

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Notable Quotes

• "Clients need an agent of change and that's nearly impossible to do on the side of your desk while running in a full time role within a financial institution." (02:46, Jessi Szurek)
• "The hardest part of any transformation isn't the technology or even the strategy, it's getting the leadership aligned... the person sitting in front of you doesn't understand why it exists or hasn't bought into the solution, it's useless." (03:33, Jessi Szurek)
• "Synthesis is structured with the opposite goal. To increase the client's return on investment and decrease their reliance on us." (05:20, Jessi Szurek)
• "AI is no longer just a tool that supports work, it's increasingly becoming something that executes work. And that changes the role of consulting entirely." (06:21, Jessi Szurek)
• "The documented process is never the actual process. It's always missing something or many things..." (08:56, Jessi Szurek)
• "User adoption isn't an activity you do at the end. It's not a launch activity, it's a design activity." (09:44, Jessi Szurek)
• "The institutions that succeed will be the ones that treat data as a strategic asset before the AI." (11:07, Jessi Szurek)
• "Most AI initiatives don't fail because of tech, but because organizations don't redesign how they operate." (11:56, Jessi Szurek)

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Key Timestamps

• Introduction & Guest Background – 00:55–02:42
• Consulting as Change Agent Experience – 02:42–04:18
• Builder Mentality & Synthesis Example – 05:09–06:58
• Design Thinking & User Journey – 07:40–10:06
• Future-Proofing AI in Finance – 11:02–12:17

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Conclusion

Jessi Szurek’s perspective underscores a shift in how regulated financial institutions must approach AI transformation. It’s not just about having technologically advanced models; it’s about human-centered design, robust data governance, and an organizational willingness to reimagine process ownership. The firms that succeed will be those that build strong, transparent, and audit-ready foundations—turning AI from a tool into a trusted colleague.

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Transcript

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[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Foreign. Welcome to Coruscant Technologies, home of the Digital Executive Podcast. Do you work in emerging tech? Working on something innovative? Maybe an entrepreneur? Apply to be a guest at www.corazon.com brand welcome to the Digital Executive. Today's guest is Jesse Zurak. The gap between AI ambition and AI reality in financial services is where Jesse Zurak works, building the data, foundations, governance frameworks and enterprise capabilities that make transformation durable, not just deployable. As Associate Partner at Synthesis, Jesse works with global banks, insurers and capital market firms, navigating the intersection of AI adoption, regulatory complexity, and operating model redesign. Jesse's focus is on the hard problem, not what AI can do, but how regulated institutions can deploy that scale without increasing risk creating audit exposure or stalling under compliance pressure. Well, good afternoon Jesse. Welcome to the show.

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

Thank you Brian. I'm happy to be here.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Awesome. I really appreciate you making the time my friend. I know you're in New York, or I guess Long island is part of the State of New York, but you're in Long Island, I'm in Kansas City. I just really appreciate the effort that goes into this to schedule calendars and time zones. So thank you again. And Jesse, I'm jumping right into your first question. You've spent over 17 years leading global transformation initiatives across 40 plus countries. Before joining Synthesis, what experience has shaped your journey into AI data and enterprise transformation?

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

Sure, when I started in consulting, I used to wonder over and over why clients kept needing consultants and what I found the answer to be is that clients need an agent of change and that's nearly impossible to do on the side of your desk while running in a full time role within A financial institution. And that part I understood. But what I started to question was something different. The deeper I got into the work, the more I noticed that the same patterns were showing up everywhere, across every institution and every project. And some of those patterns were being quietly maintained, not solved. Because in traditional consulting, the absence of a clear outcome is good for business. And I couldn't operate that way. My instinct was always to define the objective, create real value and get out. And when I learned that the hardest part of any transformation isn't the technology or even the strategy, it's getting the leadership aligned, the stakeholder buy in and the end users who want to use what you've built so you can design the most technically perfect solution in the world. If the person sitting in front of you doesn't understand why it exists or hasn't bought into the solution, it's useless. So that's what shaped how I work and ultimately what led me to synthesis. And where the philosophy is to is built into that model that to build for our clients.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Thank you, I appreciate that. And you've learned a lot in consulting. We talked about how many years you've been doing this and clients do need an agent of change, which you'd found. But it's hard to do that when you're wearing other hats. But what I liked, and I've used consultants before and so what I like what I heard today from you, is you really need to define that objective, provide value and complete that project and get out, which truly is, is the way to provide value to your, to your clients, your customers. So I appreciate that. And the last obviously communication and buy in from your stakeholders is, is an absolute must. So thank you. And Jesse, at Synthesis, there's a strong emphasis on a builder mentality alongside strategy. How does that shift the way transformation programs are delivered compared to traditional consulting approaches?

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

And that's one of the reasons I joined Synthesis. Traditional consulting has a built in conflict of interest. The business model rewards complexity and continued reliance. The longer a client needs you, the better. Synthesis is structured with the opposite goal. To increase the client's return on investment and decrease their reliance on us. Over time were able to transfer capability, not to dependency. And a good example of what that looks like in practice. Recently, Synthesis has an engagement with one of Japan's largest securities firms. And we mapped 1.6 million annual work hours across 24 headquarter departments, identified where AI could realistically replace or augment work. And now we're moving into implementation with an estimated 50 plus percent average workload reduction and more than 65,000 hours of potential annual savings. And that's what outcome based, focused delivery means. We're accountable to results, not billable hours. So one thing I've learned is that AI is no longer just a tool that supports work, it's increasingly becoming something that executes work. And that changes the role of consulting entirely. You're no longer advising on optimization, but you're responsible to redesign and deliver how the work gets done. So sort of the summary of this is that most consulting firms are incentivized to keep you dependent. And at synthesis, we're incentivized to make the client self centered, efficient. And that changes everything about how we work.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

That's amazing. And I really like that. As I said earlier, I've used lots of consultants in my career and yeah, I see that and I really like it. And I know you said that's the reason why you joined synthesis. It's outcome based. It's not. It's providing really teaching your client self sufficiency so that they have less dependency on you. And you mentioned something about AI and innovation. Work you're doing is you look at it as executing work versus completing the work. I thought that was interesting. So thank you. Jesse. Your approach incorporates design thinking, mapping user journeys and aligning technology with real workflows. Why is this human centered lens so essential in large scale transformation?

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

Design thinking is the difference between building something and building the right thing. So in financial services, that distinction is really critical because the cost of building something, the time, the money, the energy, the people, and the cost of getting it wrong, isn't just that wasted budget. It's regulatory exposure, audit risk, and a workforce that either refuses or quietly goes back to doing things the old way. So I've learned that before you do anything, whether it's writing a line of code or designing or redesigning a single workflow, you have to understand the human who's going to live inside that system or solution every day. And that means empathy mapping, sitting with the compliance officer, the operations lead, the risk analyst, understanding their world, their frustrations, the workarounds they've built because the current system doesn't work for them. And then you map the journey, and not the ideal journey, but the real one. And here's what I think is critical and what I can tell you from my experience is that the documented process is never the actual process. It's always missing something or many things. It's missing the offline Excel spreadsheet that multiple people maintain they pass around, they rely on it. It's missing the shadow tech that someone built because the approved system couldn't do what they need. It's missing the hours of instant messages flying back and forth just to complete a task. It's missing any blockers because one person is sick or they're on holiday. And that's the real workflow. And if you don't find that and you don't fix it, you just automate the documented version of what they thought the workflow was. And then the owners of this project or the budget wonder why nothing changed. So user adoption isn't an activity you do at the end. It's not a launch activity, it's a design activity. So where when people feel like the solution was built for them and they're part of it and they have buy in along the way and it's not imposed on them, that's when the transformation really works. So design thinking finds that hidden layer and that's where the transformation happens.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Thank you for sharing that. That is where the transformation happens. When you talk about that design thinking and I liked how you got in there, Again, it's about stakeholders, people that are in the middle of the process. You need to understand that process and the human sitting in the middle of that. What are their frustrations? What can they share? It's important that those folks are at the front end of this. As you said, user adoption is a design activity, not a launch activity. I thought that was interesting. But you're mapping that real journey for them. That document process is never correct. We both pin there. That's always missing something and a lot of times it's a critical piece. Right. So I really appreciate your insights here. Jesse, the last question of the day, as we look ahead to the future, how do you see AI, data infrastructure and operating models evolving in financial services over the next decade? And what will separate the institutions that succeed from those that fall behind?

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

The institutions that succeed will be the ones that treat data as a strategic asset before the AI. So not the ones trying to clean up 20 years of legacy architecture while simultaneously deploying models and specifically data governance, data lineage, data infrastructure, knowing where your data comes from, how it moves, whether you can trust it, especially when a regulator asks. AI doesn't work inside siloed organizations with unclear ownership and undocumented data flows. The separator won't be which institution has the most advanced models. It will be which one can sustain it under regulatory scrutiny, audit review, real world operational conditions, and that's the types of problems that we solve. Most AI initiatives don't fail because of tech, but because organizations don't redesign how they operate. So the winner or the successor won't have the best model, they'll have the best foundation underneath it, and it will be governed, traceable, and audit ready.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Thank you. I really appreciate that. And just again, highlighting some things here. As you said, successful organizations will actually treat data as a strategic asset. I thought that was interesting. Obviously, knowing where that data is coming from, do you trust it? The data and data flows cannot be siloed. Everything must be obviously transparent and those workflows must touch all parts of the business. I think that's so important. And Jesse, it was such a pleasure having you on today and I look forward to speaking with you real soon.

[Jesse Zurak (Podcast Guest, Associate Partner at Synthesis)]

Thank you.

[Brian (Podcast Host)]

Bye for now.

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