Rachael Vargas is the chief risk officer at Raymond James Bank, where she leads the development and execution of the bank’s enterprise-wide risk management strategy. She chairs the Enterprise Risk Management Committee, which monitors all risks across the bank, and has oversight of new product risk, policy governance and the evaluation of risk assessments.

Since joining the bank in 2010, Rachael has played a key role in shaping its strong risk culture. With more than 20 years of experience in financial services, compliance and risk management, she brings a strong foundation and a thoughtful, practical approach to her work. Before stepping into her current role, she held leadership positions in compliance and anti-money laundering (AML) at Raymond James Bank, including compliance director and AML officer. Her earlier career includes experience in the mortgage and insurance industries.

Rachael earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from the University of South Florida and a Master of Accountancy degree in forensic accounting from Florida Atlantic University. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).