GFT Technologies, a German transformation firm with deep roots in banking and financial services, is moving into its next phase of growth with fresh executive mandates that underscore a sharpened focus on AI innovation, global expansion with a key role for the U.S., as well as client-centric delivery for banks, insurers and other regulated firms.
The Stuttgart-based firm has appointed Kaushal Sheth as Chief Technology Officer, USA, strengthening its senior leadership team as financial institutions seek to operationalise AI at scale while maintaining control, quality and regulatory oversight across core systems.
New York City-based Sheth is a 30-year technology veteran and co-founder of Sophos Solutions, a financial services technology specialist that was acquired by GFT in February 2024.
In his new role, he is tasked with expanding GFT’s AI capabilities in the U.S., with a focus that goes beyond generative AI to what the company describes as “experiential intelligence”, AI systems designed to integrate more deeply into enterprise workflows and decision-making.
“What could previously be achieved in five years, can now be achieved in three by implementing AI strategically,” Sheth claimed. “And we are still at the very beginning of discovering what the technology is capable of.”
“Banks have a wealth of data that is waiting to be harnessed.”
– Kaushal Sheth
Sheth is convinced that “if companies can leverage AI as a natural extension of human intelligence, they will be able to hand over menial tasks with complete trust, enhancing productivity for a much larger focus on continued innovation.”
For QA and software testing teams in banking and insurance, the emphasis on trusted automation, data readiness and scalable AI architecture reflects growing pressure to demonstrate explainability, repeatability and resilience as AI becomes embedded into regulated production environments.
Broader leadership transition
Sheth’s appointment is part of a broader leadership transition at GFT over the past two years. In 2024, Marco Santos was named Group CEO, becoming the first non-German chief executive in the company’s history.
Santos had previously led GFT’s Americas business and played a central role in expanding its footprint in the U.S., now one of the company’s most important growth markets.
Under Santos’s leadership, GFT has positioned AI as a foundational capability rather than an add-on. “It’s my personal vision for GFT that over the next five years, all of our products and services will be delivered with AI in their hearts, completely AI-centric,” he stated.
In the U.S., Santos was succeeded by Rishi Chohan as CEO of GFT Technologies USA, with a mandate to scale the business and deepen AI adoption among North American financial institutions.
“We have watched enough technology market moments to know that AI has not yet reached its peak. It will continue to evolve and financial institutions will need to evolve with it,” Chohan shared.
“Generative AI is becoming a key part of every business and Kaushal will be highly instrumental to lead our own business and also help our clients in their AI journey.”
AI, QE and financial services delivery
GFT’s core focus remains financial services, with a global banking client base that includes major international institutions.
The company has positioned AI as a means of improving productivity and consistency across the software development lifecycle, including testing, documentation and coding.
Over the past year, GFT has rolled out its own AI coding platform, Wynxx, designed to accelerate development and testing activities.
According to the company, the tool can significantly reduce delivery timelines by supporting multiple phases of the lifecycle.
The next phase of development aims to make the platform more agentic and more aware of the specific operational and regulatory challenges faced by different industries, particularly banking and insurance.
Sheth’s work will support GFT’s global five-year plan to become a fully AI-centric company, with an emphasis on secure architecture, data centralisation and scalable delivery models.
Also worth noting, alongside these appointments, GFT bolstered its strategic leadership with the recruitment of Ian Oswald from EY as executive director of strategy and offerings.
Oswald brings extensive experience in technology strategy and large-scale transformation programmes for global banks, reinforcing GFT’s focus on regulated industries where software quality, delivery discipline and risk management are paramount.
Together, the leadership changes point to a coordinated effort to align technology strategy, delivery capability and sector expertise as financial services firms modernise legacy platforms under increasing regulatory scrutiny.
For QA and software testing teams in banks and financial services firms, GFT’s evolving leadership structure reflects a wider industry shift: AI is moving out of isolated experiments and into core delivery pipelines, where testability, governance and digital resilience are becoming decisive factors in both regulatory compliance and competitive advantage.
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