Maria is an Internal Audit Manager and Product Owner, working at OP Financial Group, Finland since 2018. She has previously worked for Risk Advisory at Deloitte Finland and Corporate and Institutional Banking at Nordea Finland.

For the past 10 years, she has worked in internal audit and consulting, largely focusing on AML/CTF audits and engagements both in external engagements and in-house. At OP Financial Group, she leads the AML/CTF audit planning and risk assessment and AML/CTF audit quality assurance as well as the development and quality assurance of member cooperative banks' internal audit framework and comprehensive audit programme.

Through her extensive internal audit and compliance background, Maria has gained a strong understanding of financial institutions' key AML/CTF processes and regulation, as well as the roles and requirements set by the three lines of defence model to business, risk management, compliance, and internal audit. She is an advocate of continuous learning and also serves in the Institute of Internal Auditors Finland as a trainer/lecturer, board member and the chairperson of the education committee.

Maria is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). She holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Economics and Business Administration from Turku School of Economics, Finland.