Andrew Escobar

+1 (416) 727–9506 • Toronto, Ontario • mail@andrewe.ca

PROFILE

Andrew is a compliance and risk leader at the intersection of financial services, technology, and regulation, with deep experience in fintech, open banking, and corporate governance. He brings the skills required for strategic leadership in an ambitious but highly regulated financial institution: risk navigator, fintech innovator, governance leader, and change agent. Andrew is committed to building the future of financial services in Canada.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

Canadian Risk Management CRM

Risk and Insurance Management Society, 2026

• in progress; final examination in May 2026

Chief Compliance Officers Qualifying Exam

Canadian Securities Institute, 2025

• exam meets the regulatory proficiency requirements set by CSA and CIRO

Master of Business Administration MBA

University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, 2021

• Creative Destruction Lab
• Technological Revolution in Financial Services

Institute of Corporate Directors, Director ICD.D

University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, 2019

• Board Dynamics Program, guest speaker in 2022, 2023, and 2024

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

undisclosed fintech

Head of Compliance, 2025

• Andrew was recruited to become the Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer of an established Canadian fintech with banking products.
• Leveraging his deep technical skills and an ownership mindset, he discovered that 30% of small businesses onboarded to a new program did not meet compliance standards, with over half being severely deficient and posing material regulatory risk to the fintech’s bank partner. After raising this with other senior leaders, the founder was unwilling to remediate any deficiencies.
• Andrew was committed to building a culture of compliance; he departed the fintech before regulatory registration as a designated person.

MX mx.com

Director, Open Finance and Client Executive, 2021–2023

Andrew led this U.S. fintech’s strategy and execution for Canadian open banking and payments enablement, working at the intersection of technology, regulation, and commercial partnerships.

• Andrew worked closely with Utah-based senior leaders, product managers, and engineers to ensure compliance with Canada’s evolving regulatory framework and consumer protection requirements.
• He guided the historic data sharing agreement between CIBC and MX — a first for MX outside of the U.S. and arguably the first of its kind in Canada’s regulated financial services industry. This required navigating complex regulatory, compliance, and risk considerations to structure the partnership model.
• Andrew led the effort to jointly commit MX and CIBC to North American open banking standards (FDX), which caught Ottawa’s attention and helped shape and solidify today’s regulatory framework.
• His success was attributable to a strong grasp of underlying technologies, a pragmatic approach to policy and regulation, and a deep curiosity for commercial use cases and business strategy.
• As an advocate for responsible fintech innovation, he engaged with leaders at Canada’s largest (and smallest) banks, credit union boards, federal policy makers, and prudential regulators across the country.

Canadian Internet Registration Authority cira.ca

Corporate Director, 2011–2023 12 years

Cira is an internet engineering firm that operates the .CA domain name, manages critical internet infrastructure, and offers a growing portfolio of cybersecurity services. Andrew served as the board’s longest-tenured member, providing strategic oversight and governance leadership through significant organizational change. He helped raise the ambition of a focused management team and build capacity to match it.

• Finance, Audit, Investment, and Risk Chair, 2017–2020
  Andrew elevated risk to a board-level priority and strengthened the organization’s risk governance framework, enabling Cira to invest in new growth opportunities by managing appropriate risk appetites and tolerances. In addition to working with the CFO on annual external audits, financial reporting, and risk management, he led the oversight of contingency plans for strategic acquisitions and a taxable subsidiary. He also provided board leadership to navigate a challenging set of firsts — a deficit budget, a price increase, and a national marketing campaign — while ensuring financial integrity and stakeholder confidence.
• Vice Chair, 2021–2023
  Andrew provided governance oversight of international M&A: two teams, two intellectual property portfolios, and an extensive codebase joining to create the leading global domain registry platform. He had oversight of the proposed corporate structure, operating model, and risk mitigation plans — applying his governance expertise and unique lens to ensure mission alignment, commercial objectives, and regulatory considerations.

Independent Management Consultant

2014–2021

Andrew supported senior leaders on digital innovation strategies, adapting to market disruption through sustaining business model innovation. He developed teams and capabilities while ensuring decision makers held a shared understanding of risk and led change management across organizations.

• Munich Reinsurance subsidiary Toronto, Munich
  Andrew led a pilot project that upskilled an internal team and built a foundation for digital transformation. Through comprehensive change management, Andrew achieved consensus to break the status quo in Canada, navigate governance roadblocks in Germany, and align a broker-led sales channel with a new direct-to-consumer insurance product.
• Canon subsidiary Toronto, Boston, Stockholm
  Andrew launched this multinational’s first digital marketing campaign to compete against an innovative Canadian disruptor, generating new revenue in the local pilot market. By building a global but nimble digital team and aligning the Canadian sales channel with a new digital pipeline, Andrew equipped his client with a scalable change management model to support global rollout.