Jonathan CRAVEN

Executive-level transformation across banking, payments, consumer credit and technology in European financial services. The strongest evidence comes first.

AI deployment in regulated financial services is not primarily a technology question. It is an operating-model and governance question.

I help leadership teams identify where AI can create measurable operational value, establish accountable ownership, design appropriate human controls, and move successful use cases into production within the organization’s regulatory and risk framework.

At Oney, I established a “flash automation” approach focused on rapid AI-assisted efficiency improvements while maintaining explicit human accountability. The initial pipeline developed into multiple quick-delivery initiatives and business-assistant projects.

Jan 2026 to present | Croix, France | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Enterprise Transformation | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Unit: Executive Leadership

Problem:

Oney had completed the first stage of its turnaround and needed to move from cost control toward disciplined growth, higher productivity and stronger execution. The transformation and operational-efficiency function was predominantly reactive support — not yet the partner the executive team needed to convert strategic, regulatory and operational ambitions into repeatable execution across a multi-country group.

Action:

As a member of the General Management Committee, I repositioned Transformation & Operational Efficiency from a predominantly reactive support function into a proactive transformation partner. I integrated strategic and regulatory roadmaps, audit recommendations and OKRs into a common objectives framework; established a joint transformation and Data/AI quick-delivery model; introduced short delivery cycles, named business owners, end-user testing and value measurement; extended Efficiency Lab methods across France, Spain and Portugal; and introduced root-cause analysis, explicit ownership and structured incident management into partner onboarding and new business lines.

Result:

Built an initial five-use-case AI automation pipeline that expanded into multiple quick-delivery initiatives and six business-assistant projects. Portugal initiatives implemented in June 2026 were reported to deliver 1,882 hours of savings and €29,000 of gains during 2026. A renovation-partner task force brought 42 signed merchants into onboarding and produced a sustainable action plan across training, underwriting and financing operations. The transformation portfolio expanded across at least six scopes, establishing transformation as a group-wide capability rather than a France-only support function.

Jul 2017 – Dec 2025 | Paris & Lille, France | European markets | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Product, Operations & Partnership Leadership | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Units: Payment Products; Enterprise Operations

Two connected stages: I led payment products at Amazon France, then led the enterprise operations of the Amazon partnership at Cofidis Group across European markets.

Amazon France — Head of Payment Products (Jul 2017 – Apr 2021)

Led payment products at Amazon France with P&L responsibility for a portfolio that grew from €0 to more than €500M annual topline, growing 60–70% annually.

• Launched alternative payment and credit methods on Amazon.fr, including installment products that became the company&rsquo
• s worldwide model
• the launch was reported in the French press at the time:
• Worked across Technology, Product, Commercial, Marketing, Legal and Operations.
• Managed operational readiness and customer experience.
• Held senior-level partner relationships.
• Owned product economics and portfolio performance.

01net, FrAndroid, and Points de Vente (November 2017).

Cofidis Group — Head of Operations, Amazon Partnership (May 2021 – Dec 2025)

Led enterprise-wide operations for the strategic Amazon partnership across European markets, covering omnichannel card-backed payments and consumer credit.

• Built and led cross-functional operations teams.
• Established incident management and continuous-improvement structures.
• Designed continuity strategies and translated business roadmaps into operational plans.
• Advised the executive board on partnership evolution and long-term operational strategy.

24+ months | Lille, Hauts-de-France | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Operating-Model Creation | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Unit: Operations

Problem:

A major financial institution needed to strengthen its operational organization to support a rapidly scaling consumer payments and credit product partnership across multiple countries. Incident management, continuous improvement and roadmap execution were fragmented, impeding cross-market coordination and strategic alignment, hindering growth.

Action:

I created and led the group-level operations function across the partnership countries — building an operating capability, not just improving processes. I introduced structured incident management derived from BizDevOps principles, established continuous-improvement protocols, and aligned the partner project roadmap with executive stakeholders on a regular cadence, advising leadership on optimizing the partnership model.

Result:

The resulting team moved the area from the client’s worst-performing to its best-performing performance area, driven by central ownership of core processes and a structured continuous-improvement model. This contributed to sustained partner satisfaction and effective delivery of key strategic initiatives, supporting portfolio growth and better risk management.

6-12 months | Lille, Hauts-de-France | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Post-Merger Integration | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Unit: Operations

Problem:

The client bank was undergoing a post-merger integration following the acquisition of a consumer credit provider. A critical phase involved migrating customer accounts onto a unified system architecture, in view of upcoming preparations for a subsequent merger with a larger banking group. Customers faced significant changes in the way their credit contracts would be managed and accessed, raising concerns about continuity and comprehension of the new selfcare procedures.

Action:

I led the internet and digital-channel component of the integration — including migration of the customer portal and associated customer communications — coordinating technology, operations and marketing, and escalating and resolving a material customer-facing blocker at CEO level.

Result:

The migration was completed within the stated 6-12 month period, with customer accounts securely integrated. A clearer customer-experience framework was established and disruption and support demand were reduced; the proactive communication and digital education approach increased customer understanding of the new system.

6-12 months | Prague | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Critical Programme Recovery | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Unit: Information Technology

Problem:

A consortium of banks across four Central European countries was hindered by severe instability and latency in their core backend system, critical to loan approvals. Random system crashes and performance bottlenecks (sometimes lasting minutes) were disrupting daily operations, increasing executive concern, and heightening operational risk. The existing technology provider had been unable to remediate the issues, and leadership confidence was eroding. I don’t need to be the technical specialist to take ownership of a technical crisis.

Action:

I established and led a five-country task force incorporating stakeholders from Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the technology provider, translating business issues into technical terms and back. I developed a unified matrix tracking each country’s specific business issues, related technical tickets and remediation actions, and explicit ownership, and provided monthly board-level updates to each country, fostering accountability and keeping progress highly visible.

Result:

All critical incidents were tracked to completion, with every major system issue resolved within a year. The structured coordination and improved visibility restored executive confidence in technology operations and significantly reduced business risk caused by system disruptions.

0-6 months | Lille, Hauts-de-France | Large Enterprise

Project Type: Go-to-Market Strategy | Industry Type: Financial Services | Business Unit: Strategy & Commercial

Problem:

A client prepared to launch or expand payments products across Europe needed to evaluate options and craft a strategic response to a complex, pan-European RFP. The task required harmonizing input from 11 markets, each with distinct regulatory and market contexts, into a single unified pitch for the client.

Action:

Led the development of a comprehensive RFP response document, aligning the board members of each local entity, technical stakeholders, and customer service organizations. Produced market and competitor analysis, synthesized regulatory requirements for split payments and PSD2, and facilitated executive alignment on product-market fit. Primary author of the final document.

Result:

The client submitted a compelling, unified RFP response that demonstrated regulatory readiness and commercial viability, positioning them strongly in a competitive selection process for a pan-European payments offering. The bid was successful and is expected to generate significant profit for the client.