Karen Ko

Karen has over 20 years of professional experience in leading complex, multi-country transformation projects for financial services clients in New York, London and APAC. Her expertise lies in partnering strategically with clients to innovate their business models and operations by implementing new processes, integrating core ERP systems, AI, automation and data.

She leads Protiviti Hong Kong's business performance improvement and digital teams, with a focus on driving growth in APAC financial services transformation solutions. Previously, she was a partner at IBM Consulting, where she led the business transformation practice, and prior to that, a partner with EY, where she headed the strategy and operations advisory practice.

Major projects

• Re-designed the customer servicing process and focused on how to better enable sales through the use of generative AI in financial institutions.
• Led a 50-person team for a US bank’s 7-country M&A integration from pre-deal through completion to post deal execution, including as-is assessment, gap analysis, target operating model, process design, system testing and migration. Successfully transitioned over 250 processes to a shared service center.
• Led multiple large scale operating model transformations from business case to execution for insurers and banks to support business growth and efficiency improvement. This included target operating model design, business case development, impact assessment across front to back offices, project governance with benefits tracking, change management, system migration and deployment.
• Led multiple regional and global finance transformation programs from target operating model design, finance process redesign to management information dashboard design and general ledger implementation to fulfill business reporting requirements
• Experienced in leading teams of consultants and acting as a trusted advisor for clients.

Areas of expertise

• Business case and target operating model design and execution
• Business transformation integrating core ERP systems, AI, automation and data
• Program, project and change management
• M&A integration
• Finance transformation

Industry experience

• Banking
• Insurance

Professional memberships and certifications

• Fellow Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW)
• Chartered Accountant, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Scrum Fundamentals Certified
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
• IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner
• IBM Platinum Badge – Banking Insights and Solutions
• IBM Platinum Badge – Insurance Insights and Solutions
• The British Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee Member
• The British Chamber of Commerce Innovation and Technology Committee Member
•  ICAEW Hong Kong Committee Member
• The Women’s Foundation Women to Watch List