Keith Bear

Keith Bear has a diverse work experience in various roles and industries. In 2004, they joined IBM and held positions such as Partner & Solutions Executive and VP, Financial Markets, where they were responsible for strategy, business development, and large transaction development in the Financial Markets industry globally. Keith continued with IBM until 2019.

In 2018, Keith became a member of the London Metal Exchange's Technology and Operations Resilience Committee. Keith also joined the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the Cambridge Judge Business School as a Fellow in 2019.

In 2021, Keith took on multiple roles, including Member of the Consultative Working Group for ESMA's Financial Innovation Standing Committee at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Keith also became an Advisor at MissionOG, a company focused on investing in high-growth B2B companies driving digitization in the economy.

Additionally, Keith served as a Member of the CBDC Technology Forum at the Bank of England. Recently, in 2022, they became an Independent Board Director at Dfns.

Keith Bear has a strong educational background in both theoretical and applied sciences, as well as business management. Keith pursued their undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, where they obtained an MA (Hons) degree in Theoretical Physics. Following that, they attended the University of London, specializing in Nuclear and Particle Physics and earning an MSc degree. As their academic journey continued, Keith enrolled at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to pursue a Master of Business Management degree, specializing in Business Management.

In addition to their formal education, Keith Bear has also obtained several certifications to enhance their knowledge and skills. Keith completed a program on Neural Networks and Deep Learning from Coursera in November 2020. Furthermore, they became a member of the Expert Network at the World Economic Forum in February 2019. Keith also holds certifications as a Corda Certified Developer from R3, an Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner from IBM, and has achieved the Financial Markets Insights and Solutions (Platinum) certification from IBM. Lastly, they became a member of the IBM Industry Academy in June 2017.