Rob V. Budhwa is Senior Counsel (Corporate) & Chief Privacy Officer at FCT, where he has carriage of all corporate legal matters, litigation and data privacy matters. Prior to joining FCT, Rob had gained significant experience in providing both external and internal legal guidance in the banking and financial services industry in both the US and Canada. In particular, he focused on consumer lending (secured/unsecured), retail and commercial banking, and financial services regulatory matters. His dual licensure and experience have provided him with the unique ability to provide guidance on both sides of the border and identify cross-border gaps in industry practices for both large multinational firms and industry startups.
Prior to FCT, Rob served as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Privacy Officer of CFF Bank, a Canadian Schedule I bank startup that raised approximately $245 million in assets and over $1.5 billion in loans under administration. During his time at CFF Bank, he successfully guided this newly licensed Schedule I Bank through a challenging regulatory framework while implementing a new innovative consumer lending division including secured/unsecured lending, retail banking products and mortgage originations.
Rob is currently licensed in both California and Ontario. Additionally, he believes in the importance of community development/involvement and in his spare time he serves on the Board of Directors for several local non-profit organizations.