Cindy Schaafstra

Cindy Schaafstra serves as the Domain Lead for Know Your Customer (KYC) & Financial Crime at Triodos Bank, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the bank’s approach to compliance, risk management, and ethical banking practices. In this capacity, Cindy oversees seven multidisciplinary teams dedicated to enhancing the bank’s KYC processes and strengthening its defenses against financial crime. Her leadership is instrumental in driving innovative solutions for customer onboarding, transaction monitoring, and due diligence, ensuring that Triodos remains compliant with evolving regulatory standards while maintaining its core mission of fostering positive societal impact.

Cindy’s expertise extends beyond traditional compliance frameworks; she is deeply committed to integrating sustainable and ethical principles into financial crime prevention. Her strategic initiatives focus on leveraging advanced technologies such as automation and data analytics to improve efficiency and accuracy in detecting suspicious activities. Under her guidance, the teams are implementing scalable, customer-centric onboarding solutions—including mobile-first approaches—that streamline the customer journey without compromising security or compliance.

Prior to her current role, Cindy served as Domain Lead Onboarding & Services, where she developed innovative onboarding processes that enhanced customer experience and operational agility. Her background in insurance and business process improvement, combined with strong leadership and management skills, enables her to effectively lead cross-functional teams through complex change initiatives. Cindy’s holistic approach, rooted in her passion for making a positive societal impact, ensures that Triodos Bank’s compliance efforts are aligned with its mission to promote transparency, sustainability, and social responsibility in the financial sector.