Samantha Kappagoda was invited to speak at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Nominee Directorship Center Webinar on Cyber, AI and Data Governance on February 19, 2026. The session explored how board directors can reinforce AI, cybersecurity and data governance practices, to foster robust technology adoption & deployment, build trust, resilience, and long term value, while remaining in compliance with global regulations. The panel was moderated by Jakob Rusinek of the IFC, and Samantha’s fellow panelist was Lauren Anderson, Board Director and Former Senior FBI Executive.
Samantha Kappagoda’s Contribution to the IFC Panel
Samantha’s contribution drew on her experience as a sitting independent director, Chief Data Scientist, World Bank economist, and governance faculty member to address how boards can move from compliance-oriented technology oversight to genuinely value-creating governance, across diverse regulatory environments and at the pace that technology deployment now demands. Her invitation to speak at the IFC Nominee Directorship Center reflects her experience as a board director with both published thought leadership and operating depth in cybersecurity, AI and data governance.
The IFC Nominee Directorship Center was established to guide equity teams in strategically and effectively exercising IFC nomination rights and supporting nominee directors in performing their fiduciary duties in the best interest of the companies they serve, in line with the IFC values and mandate. The Nominee Directorship Center maintains a growing network of seasoned diverse board directors with interest in becoming IFC Nominee Directors, sourcing candidates for board positions and providing nominated directors with on-boarding, continuing education, and knowledge resources.
About Samantha Kappagoda
Samantha Kappagoda is a board director and technology strategist who brings a distinctive blend of capital markets judgment, AI governance and data strategy expertise to complex, regulated environments. Her boardroom perspective leverages her operating experience — in data, analytics and technology — to navigate emerging opportunities, drive value and mitigate risk.
Samantha currently serves as Board Director, Nominating & Governance Committee Chair and Audit Committee Member at the Credit Suisse Funds, now under UBS (NYSE: UBS), and a Member of the Governing Council Business Board at the University of Toronto. She also serves as Chief Data Scientist and Co-Founder of Numerati® Partners LLC, a RiskTech firm, and Visiting Scholar/Academic at Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing and Data Science at New York University.
Recognized by the Financial Times as a Future 50 Director, and a Director to Watch by Directors & Boards magazine, Samantha is the author of Board Governance of AI & Emerging Technologies, and Do Boards Need “AI Expert” Directors? both in Directors & Boards, and a contributor to NACD Director Essentials: Implementing AI Governance. She is an active contributor at governance forums in USA, Canada and UK, addressing AI and data governance, cybersecurity, financial markets and global macroeconomic trends. She has served as faculty at NYU Directors’ Academy, NACD Master Class on Technology and Innovation Oversight and Diligent Institute, and been an invited panelist at conferences including Character of the Corporation, Corporate Board Member, Independent Directors Council, Institute of Directors UK, NACD Summit, Private Directors Association, Society for Corporate Governance, WCD Global Institute, and WGOB Canada. Samantha has been awarded the DCRO Institute Certificate in Risk Governance®, Certificate in Private Company Governance from the Private Directors Association, and has also completed the Harvard Business School Program Making Corporate Boards More Effective. For additional information, please see Samantha’s biography, recent news and conferences.
