Crypto Center

Pauline is the PwC France & Maghreb Blockchain & Crypto Leader and a member of the management board of PwC France and Maghreb, in charge of Inclusion & Diversity. She has over 20 years of experience in the financial services sectors, particularly in terms of digital transformation. Pauline coordinates a multidisciplinary team of professionals in blockchain technology and governance, cybersecurity, token accounting, regulation, IT law, crypto asset taxation, audit, data science, risk and quantitative finance.

Additionally, her responsibilities include leading digital transformation within the financial services industry, where she supports companies in creating new businesses, launching user-centric services and transforming their operational models. Pauline is regularly asked to support institutions, professional associations and schools. She has published several studies on crypto and blockchain.

She was recently invited to participate in a study conducted by the French National Assembly to provide her analysis and recommendations.

Relevant Experience

Pauline is a leader on these topics, with the PwC France & Maghreb Blockchain Lab having been responsible for:

• Green Tech |  Issuing of public report to analyse the carbon footprint of nodes on the public blockchain network

• Green Tech |  Implementation of a blockchain solution to simplify the procedures for Green taxes for 30+ companies of a specific sector

• Tokenisation | Assistance for the first covered bond issued by an International Bank as a security token on a public blockchain

• Tokenisation | Support the launch of an investment fund dedicated to internationally-driven films and series, capped at €100 million and structured as an evergreen fund

• StableCoin | Assistance in the first issuance of a Euro stablecoin in France by an international retailer

• NFT | Design of a NFT strategy and related token economics 

Email : mazhar.wani@pwc.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mazhar-wani/

Profile

• Mazhar has more than  22 years of experience advising multinational organisations, including Fortune 500 companies, on managing all aspects of their global tax function and strategy. 
  
• He serves as PwC's U.S FinTech Tax leader responsible for coordinating services nationally, bringing capabilities from across the firm, and building more integrated solutions and offerings for this market segment which captures payments, digital banking and lending, broker-dealers and wealth-tech, as well as crypto and blockchain. He is a member of PwC’s Global Crypto network and a key contributor to the network’s strategy and thought leadership on Digital Assets. 
• Mazhar also serves as the Global Relationship Partner and Lead Tax Partner to national priority clients across the Financial Services and Technology sectors responsible for the overall coordination, delivery, and execution of services to them – including strategy, planning, structuring, risks and compliance, transaction advisory, and technology and transformation initiatives. 
• Mazhar is a certified public accountant in California and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He has a Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Email : isabel.y.gumeyi@pwc.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isabel-gumeyi/

Profile

• Isabel Gumeyi is a Director at PwC Cayman Islands, specialising in technology risk assurance and advisory services. With over fourteen years of experience, she leads the delivery of IT reviews for assurance and advisory engagements to clients in various industries, including those  listed on New York Stock Exchange and Cayman Islands Stock Exchange.
  
• She leads the market strategy for technology related assurance and advisory services including Blockchain and data protection for PwC Cayman Islands.
  
• Isabel assesses IT risks and advises clients on how to enhance both business processes and IT controls (including cybersecurity considerations) in line with best practice, leading frameworks, and laws and regulations.
  

Email : adrian.keller@pwc.ch
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adrianakeller/

Profile

• Adrian is a partner at PwC Switzerland and has more than 19 years experience auditing and advising regulated and non-regulated financial services companies and products. 
  
• In 2011, Adrian was seconded to PwC Singapore, where he successfully developed the market with Swiss clients with a presence in Singapore. 
  
• As of June 2016, Adrian is a driver of Blockchain in Audit and represents Financial Audit in the PwC Switzerland Blockchain initiative and in PwC Global working groups.
  

Relevant Experience

• He represents PwC Switzerland in the Crypto Valley Association (CVA). Through CVA, Adrian is closely collaborating with market participants, such as incubator, accelerator programs and Crypto Valley Labs.
  
• Adrian advises and audits companies and operations that relocate and incorporate in the Crypto Valley. He is closely involved with different local and international stakeholders.
  
• Adrian is a regular speaker on blockchain related topics in PwC conferences and client events. He is a lecturer for blockchain audit at a professional organisation for audit experts.
  

Email: christopher.sur@de.pwc.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christopher/

Profile

• Chris is a partner and the PwC Global Financial Services Deals Leader, Partner, PwC Germany. He leads the Transaction Services Financial Services team in Germany.
  
• Chris is the Chairman of the PwC Global Financial Market Infrastructures Network. He joined PwC in 2003.
  
• His core competencies include buyside and vendor due diligence, vendor assistance, portfolio transactions as well as Merger and Acquisitions (M&A) and initial public offering (IPO) advice including fundraising.
  

Relevant Experience

• Chris is responsible for a variety of transactions with financial institutions, asset management companies, insurance companies, stock exchanges, Private Equity clients as well as FinTechs.
  
• He has led several engagements for financial and strategic investors with regards to strategy and deals execution of crypto and digital assets brokerage platforms, stock exchanges and other payments and trading providers.
  
• As PwC Global Financial Services Deals Leader he covers a strong international FinTech and Deals network.
  
• Experience with clients through transformational events, including IPO and M&A transactions.