Rehan Kausar
Creator of the ZERO™ AI Governance Framework
Rehan Kausar is an AI governance executive and Chief AI Officer of AI Advantages. He specializes in building enterprise AI governance frameworks for regulated financial institutions and is the creator of the ZERO™ AI Governance Framework. Over a 25+ year career, he has governed more than 420 AI systems across Fortune 100 financial institutions and delivered $1.8B in measurable enterprise value with zero regulatory findings across Federal Reserve, OCC, and NCUA examinations.
Over a 25-year career governing enterprise AI systems across global financial institutions, Rehan has delivered $1.8B in measurable enterprise value with zero regulatory findings.
Leadership Experience Across Global Financial Institutions
Institutions where Rehan Kausar held leadership roles or delivered enterprise transformation programs.
Enterprise AI Governance Impact
Enterprise Value Delivered
Governed 420+ AI systems in live production across regulated financial institutions — with zero findings across Fed, OCC, and NCUA examinations.
Operating Model
Created the ZERO™ methodology — five gates, every system, zero exceptions. Takes organizations from Shadow AI chaos to exam-ready operations in 90 days.
Board Capital Secured
As inaugural CAIO at Hudson Valley Credit Union ($8B), secured board approval for $25M+ AI investment. 30% fraud reduction. Zero NCUA findings in 90 days.
Shadow AI Systems Discovered
Institution believed they had 12 AI systems. Discovery found 47. Thirty-five were ungoverned. Governance operational in 90 days. Exam result: zero findings.
Enterprise-Scale Migrations
First regulated-banking Databricks migration across 3.5M records. $75M cost reduction on 1.2B-transaction cloud migration at 99.9% availability.
Risk Platform Modernization
As CTO at Citigroup, directed 28-person global technology org. Centralized risk architecture improving compliance and reporting velocity by 35%.
Frameworks & Methodologies
ZERO™ AI Governance Framework
Five governance gates. Every system. Zero exceptions. Operationalizes AI governance across regulated financial institutions.
Shadow AI Discovery Framework
Identifies ungoverned AI systems operating across enterprise environments. The "12 vs. 47" methodology.
Agentic AI Governance Architecture
Governance model for autonomous and agent-based AI systems. Four controls that don't exist yet.
Certifications & Education
ISO 42001 Lead Auditor
AI Management Systems — Feb 2026
ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
Dual-certified — Dec 2025
CDAIO — Carnegie Mellon
Chief Data & AI Officer — 2025
MBA — Kellogg (Northwestern)
Strategy & Operations
Applied AI — MIT Sloan
Data Science — 2021–2023
NACD Board Member
National Assoc. of Corporate Directors
Member — National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)
Latest Insights
Why 9 out of 10 AI Governance Programs Fail the Examiner
The Treasury AI Framework: What It Means for Your Next Examination
Shadow AI: What Your Institution Doesn't Know Is Running
The Zero Findings Brief
Featured
The Zero-Findings Standard™
The definitive guide to building AI governance that survives regulatory examination. Built from 25 years of practice across Fortune 100 financial institutions.
Download the Zero-Findings Standard™ White Paper →Signature Keynotes
The Zero-Findings Standard™
How financial institutions operationalize AI governance before regulators require it.
Shadow AI: The Risk Running Inside Every Institution
Your institution thinks it governs 12 AI systems. It has 47. Here's what to do about it.
ISO 42001 and the Future of AI Governance
From standard to practice — operationalizing the world's first AI management system standard.
Agentic AI and the Next Systemic Risk
Four controls that don't exist yet for autonomous and agent-based AI systems.
Book Rehan for a Keynote → Download Speaker Bio & Media Kit →
Past & Upcoming Speaking
The Deepfake Summit 2026
Houston — March 2026 · Deepfakes, Synthetic Identity, Agentic AI
U.S.–Saudi AI Industry Working Group
Riyadh — Keynote on enterprise AI governance
IAPP Global Privacy Summit
AI governance, ISO 42001, board reporting, regulatory readiness
Media & Interviews
Selected Experience
Chief AI Officer
Enterprise AI strategy and governance mandates across Fortune 100 regulated financial institutions. Architect of the ZERO™ Operating Model. 420+ AI systems governed with zero regulatory findings.
Chief AI Officer
Inaugural CAIO for $8B credit union. Secured $25M+ board-approved AI capital. Identified 47 AI systems (35 ungoverned). Zero NCUA findings in 90 days.
Enterprise Transformation Lead — AI, Data & Governance
Led enterprise AI and data modernization. First regulated-banking Databricks migration. Zero regulatory findings across multi-year Federal Reserve examination cycles.
Senior Leadership Roles
25+ years of enterprise technology leadership, regulatory compliance, and AI governance. Consulting leadership at Deloitte and Accenture delivering $300M+ transformation programs.
"AI governance is not a policy document.
It is the operating system that determines whether institutions deploy intelligence safely."
Advisory & Engagement
Rehan advises financial institutions, fintechs, and enterprise organizations on AI governance, ISO 42001 implementation, and enterprise AI risk management.
Advisory engagements typically include:
→AI Governance Assessments
→ISO 42001 Readiness Programs
→Enterprise AI Governance Implementation
→Board Advisory & CAIO Mandates