Harshit Lakhotia

Harshit Lakhotia

Lead Compliance Model Validator

Rabobank

Biography

Namaste! I am Harshit Lakhotia, which isn’t just a name but a promise of ‘Happiness’ in Hindi. See that snapshot on the left. That’s me, caught in a merry chase behind my wife on the cobbled streets of Barcelona. While my roots reach deep into the Indian soil, I’ve found a new home amidst Amsterdam’s serene canals.

Since childhood I dreamt of becoming scientist. This led me on a journey to dive deep into the world of Physics. I earned my Ph.D. from MPQ, mastering the atto-second ultrafast optics, and my Bachelors and Masters of Science from IISER, Kolkata.

My professional journey took a detour into the tech world, where I coded as a software developer at Microsoft. Later, the allure of finance led me to model validation, first at ABN AMRO and now, as the Lead Validator at Rabobank, ensuring that our models stand robust in preventing society against financial economic crime.

Interests

  • Prevention of Financial Ecomonic Crime
  • Risk Management and Modelling
  • Quantum Computing
  • Classical Music
  • Cooking

Education

  • PhD in Physics

    Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics

  • Bachelor and Master of Science

    Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Recent Posts

Resume

Work Experience

Lead Model Validator
RabobankRabobank
Apr 2022 – Present
Utrecht, NL
  • Led a multi-million euro project to validate global Client Due Diligence models, managing 15 consultants across the Netherlands, USA, Denmark, and Greece.
  • Built and grew an internal compliance model validation team of 10, eliminating dependency on external consultants.
  • Presented validation conclusions, key risks, and recommendations to C-level executives and Global Heads.
  • Assessed data quality, lineage, and governance to ensure compliance with Rabobank's data standards.
Model Validator
ABN AMROABN AMRO Bank
Aug 2020 – Mar 2022
Amsterdam, NL
  • Validated ML models (XGBoost, autoencoders, isolation forests) for detecting money laundering and terrorist financing risk.
  • Validated data pipelines over large datasets of business and retail loans.
  • Developed Python automation for model validation, maintained via Azure pipelines.
Software Developer
MicrosoftMicrosoft
Jun 2019 – Jul 2020
Delft, NL
  • Contributed to QCoDeS, an open-source Python library for quantum computing data acquisition.
  • Built telemetry pipelines using Azure Application Insights, Kusto Query Language, and PowerBI dashboards.
  • Practised Agile development with TDD, daily standups, and sprint planning.

Education

PhD in Physics
Ludwig Maximilian Universität Munich
2014 – 2019 · Munich, DE
Summa Cum Laude
Integrated BS-MS in Physics
IISER Kolkata
2009 – 2014 · Kolkata, IN
GPA: 9.1 / 10

Recognition & Awards

2024
Top Talent — Rabobank
Selected for leadership development program
2021
Top Talent — ABN AMRO Bank
Future Proof career development program
2017
DAAD RISE Scholarship
Munich · Supervised international research project
2009
INSPIRE Fellowship
Merit scholarship for pursuing basic sciences

Skills

Project Management
Project Planning Stakeholder Management Agile Budget Management
Software Engineering
Python Matlab SAS Git Azure CI/CD
Data Engineering
SQL Pandas PySpark Matplotlib Collibra
Machine Learning
XGBoost scikit-learn TensorFlow Databricks Dataiku
Business Intelligence
PowerBI

Featured Publications

Garg, M., Zhan, M., Luu, T. T., Lakhotia, H., Klostermann, T., Guggenmos, A., Goulielmakis, E.
October 2016 Nature

Multi-petahertz electronic metrology

Investigations using single-cycle intense optical fields to drive electron motion in bulk silicon dioxide show that the light-induced electric currents extend in frequency up to about 8 petahertz

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