Inci Akpinar
Read for the meetingstart here
- Lead with AI, concretely: AI is her stated 2026 focus and the bank just shipped enterprise AI (Scotia Intelligence). Talk client-impact and safe delivery, not hype. 7811
- She values invisible reliability: Her north star is tech that "feels like electricity." Framing around uptime, seamlessness, and reducing friction will land. 2
- Personalization is a priority: She wants proactive, hyper-personalized insight that tells clients "how much longer to reach your goal," not generic nudges. 3
- Trust is non-negotiable: She repeatedly ties technology decisions back to client trust; anything perceived as risky to trust is a hard sell. 3
- Speak the engineer's language: She self-identifies as an engineer energized by turning "cool technology" into meaningful client outcomes; substance over buzzwords. 3
- Respect the resilience narrative: Her immigrant-reinvention story and team-empowerment style are core to how she leads; adaptability and shielding teams from friction resonate. 2
Snapshot
- Top tech leader for retail bank: Owns the technology engine behind Scotiabank's entire Canadian Banking division. 23
- Career-long Scotiabanker: Nearly two decades at the bank, rising from wealth-tech director to divisional CIO. 134
- AI is her front-burner theme: Publicly framing 2026 around AI's "positive impacts on our clients" and enterprise AI rollout. 78
- Immigrant reinvention story: Born in Bulgaria, raised in Turkey, moved to Canada at 12; she leads on resilience and adaptability. 2
Current role, what they actually do
- Mandate: Leads technology modernization for Scotiabank's Canadian Banking division. 2
- Scope: "Canadian Banking Engineering" - the engineering org building and running retail/everyday banking systems. 3
- Reliability obsession: Wants banking tech "so reliable and integrated into daily life that it feels nearly invisible," like electricity. 2
- Priorities now: Mobile-led, frictionless experiences; proactive, personalized client insights; 24/7 availability; embedding AI. 3
- Team philosophy: Set clear objectives, give autonomy, remove roadblocks, shield teams from friction so work feels meaningful. 2
- Peer: Works alongside Sebastian Blandizzi (SVP & CIO, Data & Global Wealth Technology) on the bank's tech agenda. 3
Career path
- SVP & CIO, Canadian Banking Engineering, Scotiabank (current) - divisional CIO for Canadian retail banking technology. 13
- Vice President, Canadian Bank Technology, Scotiabank (from ~2019) - the role that scaled into the current CIO mandate. 45
- Managing Director, Scotiabank Canadian Wealth Management (~2017 to 2019) - moved from pure tech delivery toward business-line leadership. 45
- Director, Wealth Management Technology Solutions, Scotiabank (~2015 to 2017) - investment solutions and portfolio-management technology. 45
- Earlier Scotiabank / Bank of Nova Scotia roles - part of her ~18-to-20-year tenure; started when overnight code builds were the norm. 13
Public voice: podcasts, talks, publications
- Scotiabank "Perspectives" podcast, "The evolution of technology in banking" (Oct 2025): Full transcript. Key points she made:
- On the pandemic: it forced digital mortgage signing and payment deferrals fast, and clients have not gone back (paraphrase) - they now expect, in her words, "I will do as much as I can on my own time, from my own space." 3
- On the future: banking becomes "embedded" - buy a car and insurance comes automatically; set up a mortgage inside the signing process rather than rate-shopping. 3
- On personalization: clients no longer want a nudge to "contribute to your RESP" - they want to know "how much and where they are and how much longer to achieve your goal." 3
- On trust: "If a client doesn't have trust in their bank, what do we have then?" 3
- On the moment: "It really is such an amazing time to be an engineer... take cool technology and turn it into something that is really, really meaningful." 3
- Women of Influence feature, "Turning adversity into advantage" (Nov 24, 2025; republished by Scotiabank Dec 16, 2025): Bylined profile. Her line on vision: technology "so reliable and integrated into daily life that it feels nearly invisible." Advice to future leaders: "Be yourself... Work hard. Be resilient. Take on stretch opportunities... bring your whole self to everything you do." 26
- Women of Influence social feature (Nov 2025): Framed around her idea of "the power of invisible systems" that "hold steady through constant change." Appearance/feature confirmed; commentary is WOI's paraphrase of her. 10
- BFUTR 2025 (Black Professionals in Tech Network), spoke Nov 2025: Posted that she "had the honour of speaking at #BFUTR2025," calling diversity and allyship "the bedrock of stronger teams, smarter products, and better outcomes" and citing "candid discussions about what's working and what's not." 15
Recent activity
- Active LinkedIn poster, ~1 to 2 posts/month: Publishes original commentary and amplifies Scotiabank tech/AI milestones; posts routinely draw 200 to 575 reactions. Classification: ACTIVE_AMPLIFIER (verified by pulling her actual post feed, not a profile snapshot). 781213
- AI town halls, posted twice in June 2026: June 15 post on the #ScotiaTech Town Hall said the AI strategy's "clarity of direction" stood out and is "positioning Scotiabank as a true leader in this space among Canadian banks." 8 June 8 post on the Canadian Banking Engineering Town Hall: "moving beyond isolated AI use cases toward a more unified, secure, and scalable approach - grounded in strong data, platform thinking." 7
- Scene+ at Shell launch (June 12, 2026): Reposted VP Rohan Trivedi's launch note with her own commentary - said she used it "on day one" and called it "a fantastic example of what we can achieve together with strong collaboration." 14
- Q1 Town Hall (Jan 30, 2026): Recapped the Canadian Banking Engineering Q1 Town Hall and her sit-down with Group Head Aris Bogdaneris on 2026 goals and priorities; ~575 reactions, her most-engaged recent post. 12
- "Best of the Best" recognition (March 17, 2026): Celebrated top performers at a team event in the Dominican Republic; recurring people/culture theme. 13
- International Women's Day (March 12, 2026): Posted about a Scotiabank Toronto SWI event "focused on learning, connection, and impact." 9
- Enterprise AI backdrop: Scotiabank launched "Scotia Intelligence" (incl. the employee-facing "Scotia Navigator" assistive AI) on April 13, 2026 - the enterprise AI push her recent posts echo. 11
Personal-public (verified only)
- Immigrant journey she tells herself: Born in Bulgaria, raised in Turkey (Istanbul), immigrated to Canada at age 12; each move meant a new language and culture. She credits this for her resilience and adaptability. 26
- Leadership identity: Publicly featured as a Women of Influence honoree/subject in 2025; comfortable being a visible woman-in-tech leader and mentor within Scotiabank's women's programming. 2910
Sources15
- S1linkedin.com ↗LinkedIn profile: confirms current title, "nearly two decades" at Scotiabank, and reverse-chronological role list - accessed 2026-07-01
- S2scotiabank.com ↗Scotiabank Perspectives feature "Turning adversity into advantage": bio, background, leadership philosophy, direct quotes - 2025-12-16
- S3scotiabank.com ↗Scotiabank Perspectives podcast transcript "The evolution of technology in banking": her quotes on tech, pandemic, AI, personalization, trust - Oct 2025
- S4rocketreach.co ↗Career history with dates and education (U of T, B.A. Computer Science with Honors) - accessed 2026-07-01
- S5zoominfo.com ↗Corroborates title, prior roles, and University of Toronto B.A. - accessed 2026-07-01
- S6womenofinfluence.ca ↗Original Women of Influence profile (source of the Scotiabank republish) - 2025-11-24
- S7linkedin.com ↗Her post on Canadian Banking Engineering Town Hall focused on AI - spring 2026
- S8linkedin.com ↗Her post on ScotiaTech Town Hall and the Bank's AI strategy - spring 2026
- S9linkedin.com ↗Her post on Scotiabank's International Women's Day Toronto event - March 2026
- S10linkedin.com ↗Women of Influence feature referencing her "power of invisible systems" - Nov 2025
- S11scotiabank.investorroom.com ↗Scotiabank press release: enterprise AI launch (Scotia Intelligence / Scotia Navigator) - 2026-04-13
- S12linkedin.com ↗Her post recapping the Q1 Canadian Banking Engineering Town Hall and priorities talk with Aris Bogdaneris (~575 reactions) - 2026-01-30
- S13linkedin.com ↗Her post celebrating "Best of the Best" performers in the Dominican Republic - 2026-03-17
- S14linkedin.com ↗Her commentary reposting the Scene+ at Shell launch, "used it on day one" - 2026-06-12
- S15linkedin.com ↗Her post on speaking at BFUTR 2025 (Black Professionals in Tech Network) on tech, AI, and diversity - 2025-11-20