Industry Vice President, Financial Services

Here at Appian, our core values of Respect, Work to Impact, Ambition, and Constructive Dissent & Resolution define who we are. In short, this means we constantly seek to understand the best for our customers, we go beyond completion in our work, we strive for excellence with intensity, and we embrace candid communication. These values guide our actions and shape our culture every day. When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team that's dedicated to accomplishing hard things.

We are seeking a Strategic Industry Expert in Financial Services to join our growing Industry Leads team. In this high-impact role, you will leverage your deep Financial Services expertise to drive digital transformation value for clients. You will collaborate across internal teams (sales, marketing, partners, and product) to develop industry-specific go to market strategies and plays, and engage with senior financial services leaders to expand Appian’s presence in the market. This role has a significant strategic and customer-centric focus - you'll help shape go-to-market plans and ensure our offerings align with key industry trends and client needs.

Travel: Approximately 40% travel is required to client sites and industry events.

Locations: Eligible base locations include the United States, United Kingdom (London), Germany (Frankfurt), Switzerland (Zurich), or Spain (Madrid).

**Key Responsibilities**

**_ Client Engagement & Evangelism_**: Spend substantial time with Financial Services clients to identify opportunities for Appian’s AI in Process automation software. Evangelize new use cases, provide strategic guidance on digital transformation, and serve as a trusted advisor. You will also coach internal teams (Account Executives, Customer Engagement PoDs, Customer Success) on industry strategy and client engagement best practices.

**_ Thought Leadership & Market Awareness_**: Design and support programs with Account Executives to penetrate new target accounts. Deliver thought leadership content (e.g. webinars, whitepapers, conference presentations) that generates prospect interest and raises Appian’s profile in the financial services industry. Help secure broader market awareness of Appian’s value proposition in this sector.

**_ Strategic Sales Support_**: Provide market knowledge and industry insight to Appian’s Sales and Partner organizations. Guide the development of target account strategies and tailored solution roadmaps within the Financial Services vertical. Influence how we position Appian’s platform to address banking, capital markets and financial intermediaries challenges, ensuring alignment with major industry drivers.

**_ Go To Market Presentations & Enablement_**: Lead and participate in high-stakes sales presentations, demos, and follow-up educational workshops for prospects and customers. Your expertise will help articulate Appian’s value to various executive stakeholders and ensure their requirements are addressed throughout the sales process.

**_ Marketing & Industry Events_**: Support Appian’s marketing strategy by representing the company at key industry events and trade shows e.g. Sibos. Provide insights for webinars, blog posts, and other content marketing efforts. Act as an industry ambassador, sharing trends and feedback that can influence Appian’s product pillars and financial services solution roadmap.

**_ Bid & Proposal Collaboration_**: Play an active role in the RFP/bid and proposal process. Work closely with internal bid teams and partner organizations to craft compelling, industry-relevant proposals that address prospective clients’ regulatory, customer experience, and operational needs.

**Qualifications & Experience**

**_ Education_**: Bachelor’s degree required (MBA or other advanced degree is preferred).

**_ Industry Experience_**: 15+ years of experience in the financial services sector, with leadership roles in banking or capital markets. Deep understanding of the major business drivers and challenges in the Financial Services industry is essential.

**_ Transformation Track Record_**: Proven experience leading innovation or change initiatives that delivered new solutions - focusing on improved customer experience, regulatory compliance/effectiveness, and operational efficiency. You should be comfortable driving change and introducing new technologies or processes in large organizations. Appian experience is a plus.

**_ Industry Insight_**: Strong grasp of digital transformation trends in Financial Services, including the evolving role of FinTech/RegTech and other emerging innovations including AI. You stay up-to-date on industry developments and can translate these insights into actionable strategies for Appian and our clients.

**_ Technical Aptitude_**: Ability to bridge the gap between business and technology. You should have enough technical acumen to understand Appian’s platform and effectively communicate its benefits, while also speaking the language of business le