In this special Book Club episode of Risky Women Radio, host Kimberley Cole welcomes the podcast's third "Risky Man"—global RegTech leader, author, and AI strategist Robin Lee. Spanning an extraordinary career that bridges Silicon Valley software engineering, Wall Street hedge funds, and Southeast Asian compliance, Robin unpacks the core thesis behind his latest book, The Full Stack AI Ethicist (co-authored with Adam Khan).
Robin makes a compelling case for why ethics must precede traditional governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). Rather than treating AI governance as a solo technical assignment, forward-thinking institutions must establish multi-disciplinary committees that balance innovation with moral accountability.
All proceeds from The Full Stack AI Ethicist are donated to Global Alms, an NGO dedicated to rescuing victims from Southeast Asian scam centres.
Show Notes
01:55 – From Silicon Valley to Wall Street: Robin's journey across software engineering, hedge fund analytics, and financial crime compliance.
09:25 – The Startup Hustle & RegTech Rise: Building compliance startups, joining Thomson Reuters, and navigating APAC expansion.
15:59 – Why Write 'The Full Stack AI Ethicist'? Bridging the gap between Silicon Valley ethicists and financial services.
17:58 – Defining the Role: Why an AI ethicist solves global regulatory fragmentation better than a pure compliance checklist.
24:51 – The C-Suite AI Misconception: Why AI governance cannot be managed by a single individual.
27:20 – Adversarial AI Threats: The dangers of open-source models supercharging financial scams and deepfakes.