SOCIETE GENERALE AND WAVESTONE LAUNCH THE "BANKING INNOVATION AWARDS"

Press release
Paris, November 12, 2019

 

Building on the success of the Banking Cybersecurity Innovation Awards, Societe Generale and Wavestone are launching the Banking Innovation Awards (BIA) which, this year, focus on data, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity. For this fourth edition, the awards have been enhanced to include four different categories: the Cybersecurity Grand Prize, the Data & IA Grand Prize, the Data for Good & Ethics Special Prize, and the Made in France Cybersecurity Special Prize.
Innovative and promising European startups and SMEs working in these fields are invited to enter submissions by February 7, 2020-to have the opportunity of winning one of these four prizes.

Innovation: a central issue for the bank of the future
As the digital revolution advances, data volumes across the world are growing exponentially. They are driving the development of new business models centered on the exploitation of this data and the use of AI. At the same time, cyberattacks are increasing in number, variety, and sophistication.

Societe Generale Group is accelerating its digital transformation and developing data uses by exploiting AI's full potential while maintaining its status as a trusted third party. The protection of its Information Systems and customers' data is a key priority for the bank.
Wavestone, a consulting firm that specializes in the transformation of large companies, uses innovative approaches to support its clients, especially those in the banking sector.
These approaches are reflected in the identification and realization of responsible development opportunities-based on a thorough understanding of the challenges the banking sector faces, and the technologies that underpin AI, good practices in the use of data, and the management of cyber risks.

The awards are open to all innovative European startups and SMEs in the cybersecurity, data, and AI sectors; and this call for submissions offers them the opportunity to gain profile for their solutions and services. In keeping with an open-innovation approach, the awards are designed to generate, and increase, contacts and networking between players in the ecosystem, and to encourage the co-construction of solutions that create value for Societe Generale's and Wavestone's clients while ensuring that data and information systems remain fully secure.
Last year, the startups Hazy, Keeex, and Sokoia.io, won awards for their innovative solutions.

A prestigious panel of judges who combine expertise and strategic vision
A panel of judges-selected for their technical and strategic expertise in cybersecurity, data, and AI-will choose the winners after a two-stage selection process (comprising an assessment of the written submissions, followed by interviews). The judges will meet to consider the submissions in the setting of Wavestone's innovative and collaborative central-Paris workspaces, and will include:

• Christophe Leblanc (Group Head of Corporate Resources and Digital Transformation – Societe Generale)
• Claire Calmejane (Chief Innovation Officer – Societe Generale)
• Pascal Imbert (CEO – Wavestone)
• Reza Maghsoudnia, (Strategic Development Director – Wavestone)
• Thierry Olivier (Group Chief Information Security Officer – Societe Generale)
• Christina Poirson (Group Chief Data Officer – Societe Generale)
• Julien Molez (Group Innovation Data & AI Leader – Societe Generale)
• Gérôme Billois (Partner, Cybersecurity & Digital Trust – Wavestone)
• Ghislain de Pierrefeu (Partner, IT & Data Architecture – Wavestone)
• Séverine Hassler (CSR Manager – Wavestone)

Four awards that recognize innovation
Startups who pass the first stage of selection will be invited to present their solutions and services in March 2020 at Wavestone's Innovation Hub. Four separate prizes will then be awarded to the four most innovative startups at a ceremony to be held in April 2020 at Les Dunes, Societe Generale's technology hub. The awards are:

• The 2020 Cybersecurity Grand Prize: for the best cybersecurity solution identified by the panel of judges.
• The 2020 Data & AI Grand Prize: for the best data and AI solution identified by the panel.
• The Data for Good & Ethics Special Prize: for the most innovative startup or SME in the field of data use that has a strong social and ethical impact.
• The Cybersecurity Made in France Special Prize: for the most innovative, startup or SME in the field of cybersecurity, with its its head office in France and French majority ownership.

The two winners of the Cybersecurity and Data & AI Grand Prizes will have the opportunity to test their solutions at Societe Generale and will benefit from joining Wavestone's Shake'Up startup accelerator.

The winners of the Data for Good & Ethics and Made in France Cybersecurity Special Prizes will be given the opportunity to present their solutions to Societe Generale's Strategy Committee and its Security Innovation Committee. They will also be able to present them at Wavestone's Innovation Corner and benefit from three coaching sessions with experts from both companies.

Submission packs and rules can be downloaded at:
https://banking-innovation-awards.com
Submissions can be made up to February 7, 2020.

 

Press contacts: Wavestone Communications Department Sarah Lamigeon  Tel.: + 33 (0)1 49 03 20 00   Societe Generale Astrid Fould Bacquart Astrid.Fould-Bacquart@socgen.com Tel.: +33 (0)1 56 37 67 95

Wellcom PR Agency Sonia El Ouardi Sonia.elouardi@wellcom.fr Donna Clément donna.clement@wellcom.fr Julia Guillemeton: julia.guillemeton@wellcom.fr Tel.: + 33 (0)1 46 34 60 60

 

About Wavestone

---

In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large companies and organizations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of creating a positive impact for all stakeholders. That's what we call "The Positive Way.”

Wavestone brings together more than 3000 employees across 8 countries. It is amongst the leading independent firms in consulting in Europe, and the n°1 independent consulting firm in France .

Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris and recognized as a Great Place to Work^®.
Fore more information, go to wwa.wavestone.com of follow us on Twitter at @wavestone_

 

Societe Generale

Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the Group combines financial strength and proven expertise in innovation with a strategy of sustainable growth, aiming to be the trusted partner for its clients, committed to the positive transformations of society and the economy.

Active in the real economy for over 150 years, with a solid position in Europe and connected to the rest of the world, Societe Generale has over 149,000 members of staff in 67 countries and supports on a daily basis 31 million individual clients, businesses and institutional investors around the world by offering a wide range of advisory services and tailored financial solutions. The Group is built on three complementary core businesses:

• French Retail Banking which encompasses the Societe Generale, Crédit du Nord and Boursorama brands. Each offers a full range of financial services with omnichannel products at the cutting edge of digital innovation;
• International Retail Banking, Insurance and Financial Services to Corporates, with networks in Africa, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and specialised businesses that are leaders in their markets;
• Global Banking and Investor Solutions, which offers recognised expertise, key international locations and integrated solutions.

Societe Generale is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (World and Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Euronext Vigeo (World, Europe and Eurozone), four of the STOXX ESG Leaders indices, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index.

For more information, you can follow us on Twitter @societegenerale or visit our website www.societegenerale.com