Sanjay Agarwal
Education
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General Management Program (GMP, Alumnus), Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA
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Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, New Delhi, India
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Company Secretary, Institute of Company Secretary of India, New Delhi, India
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Cost Accountant, Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India, Kolkata, India
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Lean Six Sigma (Certified Green Belt/Black Belt), General Electric Company, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Tools
- Oracle
- SAP
- Salesforce
- Hyperion
- Essbase
- QuickBooks
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Time Tracking Tools
- Project Management Tools
- Lean Six Sigma Methodologies
Expertise
Regulatory Risk & Compliance
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Model risk is a critical subset of operational risk. Unvalidated or poorly calibrated models can lead to compliance failures, missed risk signals, and failed exams. Our validation services help financial institutions meet OCC, FRB, and FDIC expectations while enhancing model performance across AML, sanctions, fraud, and CRR domains.
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Even high-performing models degrade over time. At Cygnus Compliance, we help institutions tune and optimize their monitoring and CRR systems to reduce false positives, sharpen detection, and align with shifting business and regulatory needs.
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We guide institutions through the full lifecycle of implementing and optimizing AML, fraud, and case management platforms ensuring your RegTech investment is operationally sound and regulator-ready.
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We deliver comprehensive, data-driven risk assessments that help institutions identify vulnerabilities, evaluate controls, and satisfy regulatory expectations. Our assessments inform practical, risk-based strategies that enhance program effectiveness.
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Cygnus Compliance Care delivers on-demand regulatory support for critical initiatives, without requiring permanent hires. We embed experienced professionals to support audits, tune systems, clear backlogs, and strengthen compliance operations.
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We help institutions manage alert volume, improve triage, and enhance investigations through intelligent automation and deep compliance expertise. Our managed services reduce false positives, increase efficiency, and deliver regulator-ready outcomes.
Technology Consulting
Advisory & Consulting
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We help institutions transition to cloud environments that are secure, scalable, and compliant.
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Modernize legacy systems and adopt new technologies to meet evolving business and compliance requirements.
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Strengthen your security posture with a proactive, risk-based approach to technology.
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Understand, evaluate, and implement blockchain technologies where it adds value.
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Securely harness the value of connected devices in financial operations.
Product Engineering & Development
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We translate business and regulatory requirements into functional, user-centric products with compliance controls embedded at every stage.
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Whether launching a new RegTech tool or modernizing an internal platform, we manage full-cycle implementation.
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We ensure new tools integrate with your environment, users, and workflows—maximizing adoption and value.
Expertise
Cyber Security
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Timely and coordinated incident response is critical to maintaining business continuity and regulatory compliance. We develop tailored incident response plans, simulate cyberattack scenarios, and support forensic analysis and breach containment when every second counts.
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We implement data-centric protection strategies that secure sensitive information and support compliance with GLBA, CCPA, GDPR, and other regulatory frameworks.
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We help institutions design cloud architectures that prioritize security and regulatory compliance, including risk assessments and remediation of misconfigurations.
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We build identity governance frameworks that enforce least privilege, mitigate insider threats, and strengthen audit readiness.
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We build identity governance frameworks that enforce least privilege, mitigate insider threats, and strengthen audit readiness.
Data Engineering & Analytics
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We develop and operationalize governance programs that establish data ownership, standardization, and defensibility supporting both day-to-day operations and regulatory exams.
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We design AI/ML models to automate triage, enhance detection, and reduce analyst fatigue while maintaining explainability, traceability, and compliance with model governance frameworks.
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We design and implement dynamic dashboards to support transparency, stakeholder engagement, and audit readiness across compliance domains.
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We build normalized, regulator-aligned data models that support investigations, long-term trend analysis, and audit traceability.
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We implement data control mechanisms that continuously monitor quality and alert stakeholders to anomalies before they affect operations or reporting.
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Our dashboards visualize KPIs, KRIs, and risk trends across AML, fraud, sanctions, and KYC domains supporting board reporting and internal audit.
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Timely and coordinated incident response is critical to maintaining business continuity and regulatory compliance. We develop tailored incident response plans, simulate cyberattack scenarios, and support forensic analysis and breach containment when every second counts.
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We enhance your surveillance and onboarding programs with enriched, behavior-informed customer profiles that integrate internal and external data.
Sanjay Agarwal is the Chief Operating Officer of Cygnus Compliance, bringing over 25 years of global experience in Finance and Operations across Information Technology, Consulting, Audit, SaaS, Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing, and Financial Services. Having worked extensively in the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, his career reflects a rare combination of big-company rigor and entrepreneurial agility. Sanjay has guided both multi-billion-dollar corporations and PE/VC-backed growth firms, leading P&Ls, driving large-scale transformations, executing M&A, and consistently delivering on the ultimate goal of value creation.
Sanjay began his career at Ernst & Young and went on to hold senior leadership roles at GE Capital, GE Healthcare, Capgemini, Conduent, Tata Consultancy Services, and Kyocera Americas. Recent years, he has focused on small to mid-market companies and portfolio firms, partnering closely with CEOs, boards, and investors to accelerate growth, improve EBITDA, optimize cash flows, and prepare businesses for successful exits.
As CFO and Controller, Sanjay has led finance organizations ranging from $5M to $2B in revenue, building world-class processes while maintaining the flexibility required for fast-growing businesses. His expertise spans Accounting, FP&A, Treasury, Taxation, Audit, Internal Controls, M&A, Fundraising, Investor Relations, Governance, Risk & Compliance, and Finance Transformation. Operationally, he has partnered closely with CEOs and business unit leaders to drive operational excellence across both product and service industries—creating and implementing processes, KPIs, and governance structures that strengthen internal performance and enable profitable client growth. He has successfully executed numerous M&A transactions—from deal sourcing and valuation to integration and exits—consistently delivering strong returns for stakeholders.
Recognized as a trusted partner to private equity and venture capital firms, Sanjay has developed innovative frameworks such as the 3-in-a-Box Execution Model, 5-Step Transformation Orbit, Valuation Walk, and FP&A Maturity Model. These tools have accelerated growth, institutionalized governance, and tightly linked operating improvements with enterprise value. He has raised capital across technology, healthcare, and real estate ventures, and continues to advise entrepreneurs and investors on strategic finance and transformation initiatives.
Sanjay is a member of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India and alumni with A Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and Company Secretary, Sanjay also completed the Executive Management Program at The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania (Alumni). He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is proficient in ERP and BI platforms including Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, Salesforce, and Tableau.
Outside of work, Sanjay enjoys traveling, music, golf, mentoring future finance leaders, and exploring entrepreneurial ventures at the intersection of technology, finance, and operations.