Synectics' Head of Solutions joins OIX board in mission to mainstream digital identity.

Chris Lewis, Head of Solutions with data insight specialist Synectics Solutions, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Open Identity Exchange (OIX).

The OIX is a non-profit trade organisation dedicated to creating a world where everyone can prove their identity and eligibility anywhere through a universally trusted ID.

Chris, an expert in using data intelligence and machine learning for identity verification and financial crime prevention, leads Synectics Solutions’ R&D team in developing data-driven solutions to help public and private sector organisations prevent fraud and better understand their customer base.

An advocate for cross-sector intelligence sharing as the foundation for effective and inclusive risk mitigation, he believes that collaboration is fundamental to progress, particularly when it comes to ensuring that rules and standards set out in the UK’s Digital Identities and Attributes Trust Framework can be practically adopted.

Having already worked on a number of multi-stakeholder pilot projects in this field - including one to develop a ground-breaking electronic digital identity and risk assessment (eKYC) onboarding solution for the financial services sector – Chris is looking forward to applying his expertise and real-world learnings to OIX strategy.

Chris Lewis said: “Robust customer fraud controls and identification procedures are vital to tackling the many, and rapidly evolving, economic crime threats that impact financial services. Finding a way to do this digitally, enabling organisations to keep pace with customer expectations fuelled by the fast-paced digital era in which we live, has proven problematic. How do you balance needs - a frictionless and accessible customer experience on one side, while providing effective fraud safeguards on the other?"

“For us at Synectics, the answers will only emerge from collaborative working and consensus thinking. This is how we, collectively, will establish the level of cross sector, cross border interoperability needed for mainstream Digital Identity adoption. Being part of the OIX provides a valuable opportunity to be at the heart of this process.”

Chris joins eight other Executive Board members representing Barclays, Deloitte, Equifax, International Airlines Group (AIG), Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, Microsoft, Sopra Steria.

He will help steer strategy and, alongside colleagues from Synectics Solutions, will be heavily involved in OIX working groups looking at the key elements needed to drive Digital ID forward, such as interoperability, financial inclusion, sector education and engagement, and fraud controls.

Nick Mothershaw, Chief Identity Strategist at OIX, said: “This really is a pivotal moment for Digital ID, not just here in the UK but globally. Our mission is to leverage the collective expertise of individuals and organisations crucial to our financial services infrastructure to capitalise on the foundations now in place for making Digital ID a reality. Chris’ experience from his work with Synectics Solutions will undoubtedly help us in achieving this goal.”

About The Open Identity Exchange (OIX)

The OIX is a non-profit trade organisation on a mission to create a world where everyone can prove their identity and eligibility anywhere through a universally trusted ID.

OIX is a community for all those involved in the ID sector to connect and collaborate, developing the guidance needed for inter-operable, trusted identities. Through our definition of, and education on Trust Frameworks, we create the rules, tools and confidence that will allow every individual a trusted, universally accepted, identity. 

About Synectics Solutions

Synectics Solutions works with data, and lots of it. 1/3 billion records to be precise. That data is used as a force for good by partnering with public and private sector organisations to build data sharing syndicates that provide meaningful insights and help contributors solve common problems. The challenges that Synectics Solutions help to solve are around organised financial crime, money laundering, customer identification and financial inclusion, which can only be addressed through collaboration.

Synectics Solutions is trusted by tier one banks, insurance companies and the likes of the Cabinet Office. Very few organisations can combine data and advanced technology in that way.

Synectics has been in business for almost 30 years. Over that time, they’ve won a number of accolades for being technological pioneers - including The Queen’s Award for Innovation – and along the way they’ve helped to identify and save organisations over £7.8 billion that could otherwise have been lost to error, fraud or wider financial crime.

Synectics is fully ISO27001 certified, is a UK Government Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation, and has the infrastructure, expertise and experience required to carry out the many business-critical data solutions for some of the world’s most regulated organisations.