Student Profile
Pouya Lavian
Managing Director - Investments , Wells Fargo Advisors
Class of 2024
“The risks to banks are commonplace and I believe some of the trickiest ones currently include third-party risks relating to supply chains and vendors; more sophisticated ransomware; and AI-enabled phishing and video/audio faking attacks. These are also risks that UHNW and HNW individuals and families must have on their risk-assessment threat matrix.”
Pouya Lavian’s insights into the threats posed by hackers have been honed by his experiences as a financial advisor to high- and ultra-high- net worth individuals and family offices and as an attorney at one of the world’s leading law firms. “Cybersecurity should be top-of-mind for every individual, organization, and government, and family offices and those concerned with their financial and legacy positioning fall squarely within that very broad target set.”
“Like many organizations, most family offices remain reactionary to risks that they may not fully appreciate. The digitization of almost every facet of their professional and personal lives opens them up to the same risks as anyone else: insider threats, reputational risks, unwanted media attention, hackers, and hacktivists, all emanating from both state and non-state actors. Part of my role as a trusted advisor is to shine a light not only on risks my clients may face but to also be a resource on how to address and mitigate risks—and find opportunities that may allow them to benefit.”
In addition to his legal background, Lavian credits his undergraduate major in political science, with its emphasis on data and trends, behavioral psychology, and the effects of disruption, for helping him understand how people think and act. Lavian’s second major, cognitive neuroscience, was a prescient choice, as it has helped him process what he calls “the truly paradigm-shifting consequences” of machine learning and artificial intelligence, which today are being integrated into almost every organization. “I believe that every sophisticated institution, organization, and client requires advisors and leadership that have a requisite background in technology and policies that affect our implementation of it, everything from gauging cybersecurity to implementing artificial intelligence tools.”
“The risks to banks are commonplace and I believe some of the trickiest ones currently include third-party risks relating to supply chains and vendors; more sophisticated ransomware; and AI-enabled phishing and video/audio faking attacks. These are also risks that UHNW and HNW individuals and families must have on their risk-assessment threat matrix. The improvement of our technology is a wondrous thing, but malintent by bad actors does not appear to be diminishing.”
Lavian turned to the MSCRS program to arm himself with the latest knowledge. “I wanted a fulsome and clear understanding of how cyber governance and strategy can be applied across various industries and wanted the professional expertise to advise clients on how they can best position themselves. For that, I sought out the most robust curriculum with the most outstanding faculty I could find. The MSCRS program was particularly appealing because it was an offering of both the engineering (Tandon) and Law schools—having that technical component is a game changer and allows for relevant action.”