Vanessa Fernandes is a versatile leader in both business and technology, renowned for her innovative approach to leading digital transformation and creating business value. With a rich international background, Vanessa has earned widespread recognition acclaim for her adept utilization of trailblazing strategies and cutting-edge technologies to enhance operational efficiency, accelerate product development, and transform abstract business concepts into sustainable solutions.

Vanessa’s leadership experience includes roles such as CEO of Itaú Digital Assets in the USA and Brazil, where she devised visionary strategies, and pioneered the issuance of tokenized bank products in Brazil while ensuring robust compliance and risk management. Her innovative mindset enabled her to create extraordinary results while in senior operating roles such as CTO of Emerging Technologies and Open Source, Global Head of Corporate Architecture, and Chief Information Officer. In these roles, she led the adoption of emerging technologies, managed cloud migration and application modernization, initiated centers of excellence in IoT, blockchain, and quantum computing, and cultivated meaningful partnerships with external development communities through the creation of an Open-Source Program Office.

Vanessa’s perspectives are underpinned by a deep understanding of complex business challenges combined with an exceptional educational background including executive programs from esteemed institutions such as Columbia University, The Wharton School, Harvard Law School, and MIT Sloan School of Management. She earned her MBA in Technology and Business and complemented her degree with postgraduate studies and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.