PODCAST GUEST PROFILE
Derek Corcoran
The Hook
Derek argues that most CX thinking in banking is borrowed from the wrong playbook. Banks have spent years importing “delight” from Disney and Starbucks — but banking is a need-to-do experience, not a want-to-do one. Customers don’t want magic; they want speed, simplicity, and to get out of the app as fast as possible. His new book, Designing for Need: The New Rules of Customer Experience in Banking, lays out why — and what to do instead.
“Nobody wants to bank. They want what banking enables.”
FOUNDER · AUTHOR · EVANGELIST · CX STRATEGIST
Designing for NEED Book Launch
September 9, 2026 · Finovate NY
About Derek
25+ years in banking, fintech, and CX leadership across three continents. Founding partner at Avoka (acquired by Temenos), and advisor to institutions including Citi, HSBC, Westpac, and Virgin Money, plus numerous credit unions and community banks.
Podcast Appearances
— Fintech Insider (11:FS) — Episode 174, interviewed by Simon Taylor as Chief Experience Officer at Avoka, covering CX thought leadership and product strategy in digital banking
Other Speaking & Media Appearances
— GROW Powered — livestream on the power of storytelling in fintech
— Finovate “Alumni Alley” — video feature on the Avoka/Temenos acquisition story
— FF News — video interview previewing his TCF 2021 keynote
— Temenos Synergy — conference talk, “Digital Strategies for Serving the Amazon Consumer”
— Prove & Temenos webinar — “Compete or Concede: Winning the Account Opening Battle Against Digital-First Challengers”
Full speaker kit with extended bio and testimonials available on request.
Sample Questions & Topics
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What’s the actual difference between “want-to-do” and “need-to-do” experiences — and why does banking keep getting that confused?
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You call yourself a “recovering software developer” — how did that background shape how you see CX differently than a typical bank exec?
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Why does Disney-style CX actually fail in regulated industries like banking?
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What does an Amazon-style approach to banking simplicity actually look like in practice?
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How is AI about to change this conversation — is it going to push CX further toward invisible, or somewhere else entirely?
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What’s one thing a bank could do this quarter that would meaningfully cut customer friction?
This is the wake-up call we need to evolve how we deliver services at AI speed.
Brett King
Bestselling Author of the Bank x.0 series and host of Breaking Banks podcast
Banks have spent years importing executives from Disney and Starbucks, wondering why the magic never arrived. The 17 design principles are a must-read.
Ron Shevlin
Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors, Author and Forbes Contributor