Success Stories
Case Study – AI Innovation Lab with Compliance Guardrails | Laksh Vaswani
Learn how Laksh Vaswani launched a governance-first AI innovation lab, piloted LLM use cases, and aligned digital transformation with regulatory oversight.
Innovation Built for Oversight — Not Just Optics
Laksh led the creation of an enterprise AI Innovation Lab within a highly conservative, risk-averse financial institution — complete with embedded risk, regulatory approval frameworks, and real-world use cases in production
The Challenge
Innovation Theater, Governance Gaps, and AI Confusion
Like many traditional financial institutions, this organization struggled with digital transformation. Innovation projects lacked structure. Risk teams weren’t involved. AI initiatives stalled due to unclear compliance boundaries.
The board demanded action. The regulators expected clarity. But no one had built the connective tissue between technology and trust.
Laksh’s Role
From Idea to Institution — Creating an Innovation Lab With Teeth
Key Actions Taken:
- Designed and launched the first cross-functional Innovation Lab with built-in risk oversight
- Aligned innovation metrics to strategic KPIs and regulatory outcomes
- Created pre-approved AI/LLM use-case templates for rapid POC approval
- Established guardrails around vendor access, data sources, audit trails
- Led stakeholder sessions to drive alignment between Tech, Risk, Compliance, and Audit
- Presented Innovation Lab strategy to Executive Committee and board subcommittees
Results
Compliance-Approved Innovation at Scale
- Innovation Lab fully launched within 10 weeks
- 5 LLM pilots deployed with risk-approved oversight
- Internal Audit endorsed lab governance model
- 3x faster vendor onboarding via new framework
- Reused model across two business units and global tech
“Laksh gave our innovation story legitimacy — internally and externally. That’s rare.”
SVP, Technology Risk & Strategy