David Asermely is the Vice President of Global Business Development & Growth Strategies at ValidMind, where he leads the global vision for the firm’s AI Governance platform. A foundational figure in the risk space, David previously spent a decade at SAS as the Global Product and GTM leader for their Model Risk Management and AI Governance platform. From its inception, he scaled that platform to serve over 100 financial institutions, including numerous G-SIBs. Currently, David is focused on operationalizing the next generation of risk frameworks, with a particular emphasis on Agentic AI Management and the convergence of blockchain and AI through Verified Finance. He is a leading advocate for Graduated Authority, a dynamic governance model that scales AI autonomy based on proven performance and risk thresholds. A champion of "pragmatic governance," David’s work ensures that as AI moves from predictive models to autonomous agents, institutions can maintain trust, transparency, and rigorous oversight.