Amanda Barkus leads the US Technology Transformation and the Office of the CIO at MetLife. She is responsible for IT Strategy, Application Security, Application Currency, and Software Engineering Operations.
In this role, Amanda defines the technology strategy to support the US business and leads transformation efforts, including overseeing MetLife’s evolving technology capabilities, as well as change management activities associated with operating model and IT talent strategy. She embeds operational excellence in software development through maturing application security practices, application currency governance, and the continuous improvement of software engineering processes, such as DevOps. As part of running the Office of the CIO, she also manages performance measurement, organization planning, employee engagement, and department communication.
Amanda began her career as a software developer in New York City working for TIBCO. She later moved to Thomson Reuters where she assisted several Wall Street investment banks in the implementation of foreign exchange and equities trading platforms. Before joining MetLife in 2015, Amanda worked for HSBC’s investment banking division and spent eleven years in a variety of roles, including Head of Foreign Exchange Technology, Head of Software Development for HSBC Mexico, IT Head of US Transformation Programs, and Chief of Staff to the CIO of the Americas.
Amanda holds a bachelor’s in Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad del Cauca in Colombia and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. She is an active speaker on topics related to technology and leadership and is passionate about finding ways to increase inclusion of women in IT.