Acting Deputy Superintendent, Innovation Policy, New York State Department of Financial Services, USA
Seema Shah joined the New York Department of Financial Services in April 2020 as an Assistant Deputy Superintendent within the Division of Research and Innovation (R&I). She was hired to help support internal digital transformation and external market innovation in financial services and leverage her previous experiences working closely with the tech sector in a variety of investment and operational roles to ensure that New York remains the jurisdiction of choice for financial services innovators. During her time at DFS to date, she has led the execution of a Techsprint on Digital Regulatory Reporting for licensed virtual currency companies, assessed new efforts to use technology to address financial exclusion, participated in an investigation that sought to identify and protect consumer data rights, extensively researched the use of AI/ML in the life insurance industry, and launched an “innovator first” platform called DFS Exchange to support entrepreneurs seeking to deliver novel digital solutions that advance the state’s financial services ecosystem and economic development priorities. Prior to that, Seema was the Director of Innovation at LaGuardia Community College, part of the City University of New York, the largest urban public university system in the country. In her role at LaGuardia, she helped the campus secure over $25 million in new federal, state and city funding to expand and revitalize the value proposition of higher education in New York City. Seema earned her Executive MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, her Master’s in Urban Policy and Management from Milano, The New School University and her Bachelor's from Barnard College, Columbia University. She participates in local government as an appointed member of her district’s Community Board, which advises elected officials and government agencies on matters affecting the social welfare of the district.
