Lisa Cinelli

Currently Equitable Bank’s CCO, CPO and CAMLO heading up a team of Compliance and AML/ATF professionals. I am responsible for implementing and overseeing Equitable’s programs as they relate to regulatory compliance management, AML/ATF, privacy and data protection, consumer related provisions, including complaints and whistle blower issues. Prior to joining Equitable Bank, Lisa worked at TD Bank as AVP in both compliance and AML, supporting the securities, retail banking and direct channels businesses. Prior to TD Lisa worked as a lawyer on Bay street.

What makes you a Risky Woman?

I think I’ve tried in each successive role to challenge the norms around what it means to run a Compliance department – how we support the business, how we interact with regulators, how we challenge the norms of doing things while still staying within our legislative guardrails. It sometimes means challenging the business, offering alternatives or coming up with creative solutions; there’s always risk involved, but helping your business achieve their goals is always worth it.

Name your top 3 achievements

1. First, developing strong female leaders within my teams, even if it means that they need to move on in order to achieve their full potential. There is no bigger success than developing top talent into leaders.
2. Second, transformational change in my Compliance department – evolving a program which has grown along with Equitable Bank, on track to become the 7th largest bank in Canada by assets following its acquisition of Concentra Trust and Wyth Financial.
3. Last, paying forward mentorship – I have reaped so many benefits and opportunities as a mentee in the early stages of my career that to mentor other women in my network is both an honour and a privilege.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?

I moved from a strictly legal role to a Compliance role without any formal compliance experience. It was a leap and terrifying, but was the first step in realizing my true passion and ultimately paved the path for my entire career since.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Aside from being a self-professed Compliance nerd, I’m a mom of twin boys with an unusual amount of inflicted hockey knowledge and an avid cake baker and decorator.

What is the best quality for successful leaders in Risk?

Being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Most of what we encounter in the Compliance (Risk) space are situations and issues which fall outside the norm – being asked to assess the risk in situations that are otherwise grey, not a perfect set of facts, do not fall exactly in line with legislation, etc. If you can manage to do that well, you can aptly support your team and your organization. I like to tell the team we are ultimately helping our business partners solve problems more than anything else, and it helps drive a solutions-driven Compliance culture.