Steffie Schwillens

Global Head of Non-Financial Risk at ING

Speaker

Steffie Schwillens is Global Head of Non-Financial Risk at ING, where she is responsible for the management and oversight of non-financial and related regulatory risks across the bank. She leads ING’s global Non-Financial Risk function, covering areas including operational risk, technology and cyber risk, AI risk, resilience, third-party risk, fraud, and emerging risks. As a member of ING’s global risk leadership team, she drives the bank’s forward-looking risk strategy, helping ING navigate an increasingly complex technological, regulatory, and geopolitical environment.

Steffie advocates a risk-based approach to managing uncertainty and helping organisations make better decisions. She believes that effective risk management should enable innovation and sustainable growth while maintaining strong governance and resilience. She pushes organisations to go beyond compliance-driven approaches towards more proactive, data-driven, and outcome-focused risk management.

Her experience spans non-financial risk management, financial sector supervision, financial crime, operational resilience, technology and cyber risk, governance, and regulatory engagement. She has led complex transformation programmes and regularly engages with boards, executive committees, and regulators on strategic risk matters. Her work focuses on strengthening organisations’ ability to anticipate emerging risks, adapt to change, and remain resilient in a rapidly evolving environment.

Before joining ING, Steffie spent more than fifteen years at the Dutch Central Bank - De Nederlandsche Bank -, where she held a variety of leadership positions across prudential and integrity supervision. Before joining ING, she served as Head of Financial Crime Supervision for the Dutch banking sector, overseeing financial and economic crime risks and working closely with financial institutions on the transition towards more mature and risk-based approaches to financial crime management.

Alongside her executive responsibilities, Steffie is committed to building high-performing teams and strengthening the role of risk professionals in shaping business decisions. She believes that the future of risk management lies not only in technical expertise, but also in the ability to influence, challenge constructively, and create meaningful impact across organisations.