A recognized leader in the financial services industry, Daniela Chikova is considered an expert in banking — particularly retail banking and payments. With extensive experience across leading financial institutions worldwide, she possesses a deep understanding of financial performance levers, evolving customer needs, and the global trends shaping the future of the industry.
Finding tailored solutions for the unique challenges executives face drives Daniela. She considers her engagements to be a collaborative effort and often brings in elements of organizational design and team effectiveness, helping organizations achieve top-line growth by transforming their business models.
Strategically shaping the future of retail banking and digital payments
- Daniela has worked with some of the largest banking groups in Central and Eastern Europe across their entire footprint, as well as with leading payment and tech organizations on their financial services strategies.
- During 25 years at the global management consulting firm Kearney, she handled primarily large-scale post-merger integration and transformation projects and topline growth strategies in retail banking and payments. She also led Retail Banking Radar, the retail banking thought leadership for Kearney, for 17 years.
- Daniela has published over 50 thought leadership articles and has been quoted many times in daily and specialized financial services media.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and journalism at the America University in Bulgaria and her M.B.A. at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta. She has worked in the U.S, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. Daniela is also a Fulbright Scholar and used to lecture on strategy implementation and post-merger integration at the Vienna Economics University.