Johnny Kollin

Várri Consultancy

Founder and Managing Director of Várri Consultancy - an award-winning management consulting boutique in Dubai focused on strategy, risk and governance, in a sustainable way.

Recognised as a Clutch Global Leader in 2024 by Clutch, the leading global marketplace of B2B service providers. In addition to these honours, Várri Consultancy was also recognised in 2023 by Clutch, International Business Magazine, and World Business Outlook for its management consulting achievements.

Founder

Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank

As Head of Credit Risk, reporting to the CEO and CRO, Johnny was responsible for establishing the credit risk management function of a newly established bank, including writing policies and procedures for board approval, designing processes, capabilities planning for the department and subsequent staffing plan, new product approvals, frameworks for country risk reviews, and ongoing assessment of corporate clients and financial counterparties etc.

Participated as voting member of the Credit Committee, sanctioned credit exposure within an individual delegated authority, presented to the monthly Board Risk Committee, and worked with Executive Committee members, board members, external auditors and management consultants to develop the overall strategy and financial forecasts of the bank.

One of two contributors to redesign the enterprise risk management framework and risk appetite statement, and contributed to the annual ICAAP and IRAP reports.

Head Of Credit

Barclays

As the most senior credit risk sanctioner in Barclays UAE since 2016, I was responsible the Corporate & Investment Banking credit portfolio of Barclays UAE consisting of large corporate clients and government related entities (“GREs”) in the UAE and rest of MENA across numerous sectors e.g. manufacturing, wholesale/retail, oil & gas and others.

In addition, I was engaged on several projects aimed at process and policy improvements and actively contributed in work streams related to the wind-down of Barclays’ non-core activities in the UAE in 2016, the parallel migration of core businesses in Corporate Banking, UAE, the closure of a branch and opening of another in Dubai, and the launch of several new products including green trade loans.

I also served on several committees, including the Credit Risk (UAE) Oversight Forum, the MENA Regional Risk & Control Forum, Watchlist/Early Warning List Forum, Barclays UAE Infrastructure Leadership Team, Barclays MENA Crisis Leadership Team (business continuity management), and the UAE Banking Federation’s risk committee (for a one-year rotating term).

Responsibility for credit grading and calculation of loss given default and exposure at default, prepared or approved credit reviews (within delegated authority) depending on sanctioning level, provided recommendations for early warning listing, reviewed country cross-border risk reports and recommended country caps and other regular tasks for an assigned client portfolio.

Monitored credit events, covenants, excesses, industry developments and issues affecting the region and provided recommendations to management and/or took necessary actions. Reviewed and commented on monthly stress tests of derivatives exposure for my portfolio. Led the credit-related work in relation to financial audits and regulatory reviews including the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the UAE Central Bank.

Vice President

Dec’12–Dec’14: Corporate banking credit risk covering government related entities and large corporates in the UAE.

Aug’10–Dec’12: Investment banking credit risk sanctioning covering government related entities and corporate entities in the MENA region as well as UAE based financial institutions and sovereigns.

Assistant Vice President

Credit risk management covering large-cap banks, non-bank financial institutions and regulated funds in the Nordics and Ireland, as well as European supranationals.

Credit Risk Analyst

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Following my graduation from Stockholm School of Economics, I was admitted to the graduate programme of the investment banking division of Bank of America*.

Following a five-week induction training programme in London, New York and Charlotte, I joined the Financial Institutions Risk Management team as a Credit Risk Analyst based in London. At the height of the 2008/2009 financial crisis, I was responsible for a portfolio of large cap financial institutions in France, Benelux and Switzerland, including preparing credit approval memos, monitoring clients, credit rating analysis etc.

I was recognized for my objectivity, ability to challenge current processes or structures, and constantly seeking ways to improve our ways of doing business.

* Later renamed Bank of America Merrill Lynch following the acquisition of, and merger with, Merrill Lynch in 2009.

Ipsos NORM

As a Project Assistant at NORM - Nordic Market Research (now named Ipsos NORM) I worked on quantitative shopper and consumer studies related to product launches and new packaging design of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), including multi-country research based on virtual shopping simulation. My tasks included data mining, processing large volumes of data, conducting various statistical analyses using SPSS, and preparation of presentation decks. In parallel, I also produced a financial forecasting model for the CEO for scenario analysis of the company’s financial performance.

Project Assistant

As a summer intern in the investment banking division of Bank of America*, I assisted the Rates Sales team in daily activities such as monitoring and analyzing market data, pricing inquiries, conducting statistical analyses on sales data and setting up new client accounts. In addition, I developed several models for rates interpolation, government benchmark bond analysis, swap risk analysis and asset swap spread pricing. My greatest contribution was that I not only took over most of the daily tasks from the first year analyst, but in addition added real value by developing models that enabled the senior sales staff to work more efficiently.

* Later renamed Bank of America Merrill Lynch following the acquisition of, and merger with, Merrill Lynch in 2009.

Sales Analyst

Litchie

As the owner of Litchie, I worked with one employee on a project involving the writing of a business plan for a new business set-up in the pharmaceutical industry. This included field work, both in Sweden and Norway, collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, a consumer survey study including conjoint, one-way Anova and cluster statistics analyses and the production of a financial model enabling the user to run different scenarios and calculate the corresponding projected PnL. By conducting thorough research and developing a financial model, I did not come up with "one" solution, but rather involved the client and presented a variety of options as well as providing them with tools for continuing the decision process on their own. By running my own company and employing another person, I have developed a greater sense of responsibility and a drive for results.

Partner

Avanza Bank

As a SwedSec*-licensed stockbroker, I executed cash equity trades on behalf of private and small institutional clients, mainly on the OMXS, NASDAQ, NYSE, TSX and TSX-V exchanges. My duties also included certain mid-office duties such as allocating trades to accounts. During my time at Avanza, the number of executed trades on foreign exchanges increased by 400%, which meant that the workload increased significantly. My greatest contribution was to identify areas of possible improvement to reduce the workload while meeting our clients' requests more efficiently. I developed a practice-oriented understanding of the financial markets, which compliments my theoretical understanding. In addition, I developed a solid knowledge of different types of financial products and the importance of compliance and regulatory issues.

Avanza is the largest actor on the Swedish securities market in terms of deals.

*SwedSec Licensiering AB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swedish Securities Dealers Association which is responsible for licensing securities dealers.

Stockbroker

Amadeus

- Conducted in-depth analyses of new markets under consideration as well as strategic reviews to determine potential future functionality, resulting in a consultancy job offer from the Corporate Strategy team.

- Provided market research, usability and functionality analyses, resulting in a redesign of a booking application used by more than 120 000 travel agents worldwide.

- Provided product enhancement research including written functional qualitative analysis as well as technical analysis.

- Amadeus is the leading global distribution system (GDS) and technology provider serving the marketing, sales and distribution needs of the world's travel and tourism industries in over 215 markets around the world.

Assistant Product Manager

Swedish Armed Forces

Following completion of my military service in the submarine force, I was admitted as a Submarine Sergeant - Radio Operator - on a contracting basis. I was responsible for all incoming and outgoing information, including encryption, decryption, and processing of all forms of external communication through various transmission media, in addition to general seaman duties. Furthermore, I was trained to fluency in transmitting and receiving morse code through telegraphy.

Submarine Sergeant

I’m the founder and managing director of Várri Consultancy, an award-winning management consulting boutique in Dubai that specializes in strategy, risk and governance, in a sustainable way. 

With over 16 years of experience in banking and consulting, I know a thing or two about risk management and the financial services generally, and credit and credit risk in particular.

My mission is to help clients navigate the uncertainty and volatility of the current environment, and create stable and long-term opportunities for growth. By combining my expertise in strategy and risk management with a passion for sustainability and innovation, I deliver solutions that are aligned with the economic, societal, and environmental goals of our clients. 

I’m also a lifelong learner, holding a master's degree in economics and business, and currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in law.

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