CGI in Canada Podcast

Organizations continue to accelerate cloud adoption, but many struggle to maintain visibility into costs, ownership and operational accountability as environments grow more complex.

Cost optimization is not about cutting budgets blindly. It is about creating visibility, governance and operational discipline across IT and cloud environments.

In this episode of A CGI Conversation, host Derek Marinos speaks with Mark van Engelen and Scott Stanley about how FinOps practices help organizations mature their cloud operations through better governance, forecasting and cost transparency.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why cloud overspending is often a governance issue—not a tooling issue
• How FinOps maturity impacts operational efficiency and business agility
• The importance of creating a single pane of glass across IT and cloud environments
• Common gaps in cloud governance, SaaS licensing and accountability models
• How one Canadian investment firm achieved approximately 25% cloud cost savings through improved FinOps processes and tooling optimization
• Why cloud optimization requires alignment across technology, finance and operational teams

The conversation also highlights how organizations can evolve from reactive cloud cost management toward a proactive operational governance model that supports long-term scalability and innovation.

Featured speakers

• Mark van Engelen, Vice-President, Emerging Technologies, Western Canada
• Scott Stanley, Director, Consulting Delivery, Global Technology Operations
• Host: Derek Marinos, Manager, Communications and Media Relations - Canada

Fraud in auto insurance is often treated as a downstream problem, investigated after a claim is filed. But the real opportunity lies much earlier.

In this episode of A CGI Conversation, we explore how insurers are shifting from reactive detection to proactive, lifecycle-wide prevention. From underwriting and pricing to claims and governance, this discussion examines how data, analytics, and better validation are enabling more targeted and effective fraud strategies.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why fraud risk originates early in the policy lifecycle
• How misrepresentation impacts pricing accuracy and loss ratios 
• Why a small subset of policies drives outsized losses
• How targeted validation at quote and bind improves risk control
• How insurers can understand the value of prevention

Featured speakers 

Santiago Vilasis, Director, Advanced Analytics & AI, Insurance

Raman Sharma, Director, Consulting IP, Insurance Data, Advanced Analytics & AI Products

Host: Derek Marinos, Manager, Communications and Media Relations – Canada

In a world of AI-enabled scams and instant payments, banks must defend trust at the speed of risk and redefine their fraud strategies.

Fraud is often viewed as friction—a cost to manage or a risk to contain. But in today’s environment of AI-enabled scams, organized fraud networks, and Canada’s upcoming Real-Time Rail—where payments settle in seconds—that mindset is no longer enough.

March marks Fraud Prevention Month in Canada—a timely opportunity to rethink how organizations approach one of today’s fastest-evolving risks.

In this episode of A CGI Conversation, Derek Marinos speaks with Tammy McKinnon, Senior Vice President of Global Fraud Management at Scotiabank, and Neha Gupta, Director, Consulting and Financial Services Fraud Prevention Expert at CGI. Together, they explore how leading organizations are reframing fraud prevention as a strategic enabler of trust, resilience and long-term growth.

From the rise of social engineering and agentic AI to the growing importance of data, analytics and ecosystem collaboration, this boardroom-level discussion delivers practical, executive insights for leaders navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the fraud landscape has shifted toward social engineering and AI-enabled scams
• Why fraud is now a persistent, enterprise-wide risk—not just an operational issue
• The role of data, analytics and signal fusion in preventing fraud before it happens 
• How real-time payments are reshaping fraud risk—and what leaders must do to respond
• What executives and boards should prioritize to build trust, resilience and long-term growth

Featured speakers

• Tammy McKinnon, Senior Vice President, Global Fraud Management, Scotiabank
• Neha Gupta, Director, Consulting Services, Financial Services Fraud Prevention Expert, CGI
• Host: Derek Marinos, Manager, Communications and Media Relations – Canada

In this episode of CGI Conversations, CGI experts explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the software development lifecycle (SDLC) in the insurance industry. As claims volumes rise, regulations evolve, and customer expectations increase, traditional development models can no longer keep pace.

AI is helping insurers accelerate delivery from months to weeks while improving quality, resilience and compliance. But success requires more than AI-powered coding. It requires rethinking the entire SDLC.

CGI leaders discuss how insurers are already seeing measurable results from AI across development, testing, documentation and architecture. They also explore how organizations can scale AI responsibly with the right governance, operating models and human oversight.

You will learn:

• Why traditional 6 to 18 month development cycles are becoming unsustainable for insurers
 • How AI is already delivering measurable ROI in software development and testing
 • Why focusing on coding alone creates new bottlenecks in the SDLC
 • How end-to-end lifecycle transformation unlocks exponential value
 • What insurers should focus on in the first 90 days of AI adoption
 • How governance and resilience must evolve alongside faster delivery
 • What AI agents and orchestration could mean for insurance technology by 2027

Featuring CGI experts:

Tarun Dehariya, Insurance Sector Lead, TFS
Chris Juryn, Head of AI & Emerging Technologies, GTO
Guillaume Brincin, Director, Consulting-Expert – AI & Immersive Technologies

Host: Derek Marinos, Manager, Communications and Media Relations, Canada