With a career spanning global markets, Lisa Balter Saacks, President of Trillium Surveyor, has developed a leadership approach centered on clarity, curiosity, and collaboration. Her international experience revealed how communication and cultural differences shape teamwork, and how the most effective teams succeed when given both guidance and autonomy.
In this Traders Magazine interview, Saacks discusses the experiences that have shaped her leadership, the growing role of AI in trade surveillance and best execution, and insights into the evolving landscape of finance and technology leadership.
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### What pivotal experiences or decisions most shaped your leadership style?
Early in my career, I worked across several countries where language and culture shaped everything — how teams collaborated and how we presented ideas to clients. It taught me how powerful words can be, and how easily intent can get lost when people hear or interpret things differently. I learned to ask questions, listen more than I spoke, and make sure what I thought was clear actually was.
I also realized that the people who make the biggest impact aren’t always the ones who look the best on paper. They’re the ones who stay curious, adapt quickly, and grow through uncertainty. I’ve learned to spot that early to give people space to figure things out but also know when it’s time to step in and course-correct.
Over time, I’ve seen that culture drives everything. The best environments give people room to experiment and move fast, but with enough structure to stay focused. That balance — freedom with accountability — is what lets teams innovate and deliver, even when things are changing around them.
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### As President at Trillium Surveyor, how do you see technology transforming trade surveillance and best execution practices?
We’re seeing a pivotal moment in how firms approach both trade surveillance and best execution. Market volatility and the evolution of market structure, including the expansion of 24/5 trading and evolving asset classes such as digital assets and event contracts, have made it increasingly difficult to manage oversight across fragmented systems.
At the same time, AI-driven strategies and sophisticated manipulation techniques are challenging traditional models of detection and analysis.
At Trillium Surveyor, we see technology transforming this space by breaking down silos between surveillance and execution analytics so firms can get a unified, real-time view. This integration enables faster identification of risks and better-informed decisions, ultimately strengthening compliance and performance.
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### What are the biggest challenges and opportunities when scaling a B2B SaaS platform within the highly regulated financial sector?
In a regulated market, the challenge is building at scale without compromising control. Data integrity, transparency, and auditability are essential.
At Trillium Surveyor, we have learned that sustainable growth depends on maintaining that trust while continuing to innovate. Regulated firms cannot afford disruption, so implementation has to be seamless, and systems need to work within existing workflows.
The opportunity lies in unifying fragmented systems and helping firms move from reactive oversight to proactive optimization. When teams can access clean, connected data and apply analytics that surface issues faster, they strengthen both compliance and performance. That is where technology adds real value.
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### How are global regulatory trends influencing the future of trade surveillance and compliance solutions?
Regulators around the world continue to raise expectations for transparency, timeliness, and accountability. Firms are now expected not only to identify potential issues faster but to clearly explain how those conclusions were reached.
This has accelerated the industry’s focus on explainable analytics and audit-ready reporting. In practice, that means a surveillance alert can no longer be a black box. Reviewers need to see which data points, benchmarks, or trading patterns triggered the flag so they can validate the result and document the reasoning.
The same applies to execution analysis, where regulators increasingly expect firms to demonstrate how routing decisions and benchmark comparisons were made. This emphasis on explainability is setting a new standard for compliance technology.
Firms that can show both the outcome and the rationale behind it will be better equipped to meet future regulatory expectations with confidence.
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### With AI playing a larger role in market monitoring and risk management, what ethical or operational considerations should financial institutions prioritize?
I am aligned with the stance that AI should enhance human judgment, not replace it. The goal is to help people see patterns faster and make better decisions, not to hand over major control to a model.
Firms need to understand how their systems reach conclusions, what data they rely on, and where bias could creep in. This comes down to governance and clarity. Teams should be able to explain why a model flagged something, how it weighed the information, and when it might need to be adjusted.
When AI is applied thoughtfully, it can make oversight more focused and efficient without losing the human perspective that is essential to sound risk management.
At Trillium Surveyor, we are watching this space closely and designing with those same principles in mind. The future of surveillance and execution analytics will rely on technology that enhances human decision-making while keeping accountability and context in the reviewer’s hands.
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### As a senior woman leader in finance and technology, what key barriers still exist for women entering and advancing in these industries?
Access and visibility remain the biggest barriers. I have seen how even highly capable women are steered toward support functions rather than the decision-making seats.
That is part of why I mentor and teach through programs at NYU Stern and Baruch College. Exposure to real-world examples, leadership paths, and industry challenges helps bridge that gap. It gives women the context and confidence to see themselves in those roles and to ask for opportunities that stretch them.
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### How have mentorship and professional networks influenced your journey?
I can’t say I’ve had a long list of formal mentors, but I’ve been fortunate to build an incredible “peer board” of women over the years — former colleagues, industry peers, and friends from very different fields.
They’ve become my sounding board and support system. We share advice, swap lessons on managing up and down, and have honest conversations about what’s working and what’s not.
That openness and shared wisdom have shaped me more than any single mentor could.
Mentorship, to me, also works both ways. I make a point of staying connected with students, founders, and professionals earlier in their careers because they bring such fresh perspectives.
It’s energizing to see how they challenge long-held assumptions and rethink how this industry should work. That exchange — learning from each other, across generations and experiences — keeps me growing too.
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### What are the tangible benefits organizations see when women hold executive roles in finance and tech sectors?
When women are part of executive teams, the conversation changes. You get a wider mix of experiences and perspectives, which leads to better decisions.
People see challenges differently, ask different questions, and often find smarter ways to get to the goal. If everyone comes from the same place or thinks the same way, you tend to move in just one direction.
Real progress happens when there are multiple ways to get there or when someone has the courage to question whether we’re aiming for the right thing in the first place.
In fast-moving fields like finance and technology, that range of thinking makes companies more resilient, more innovative, and better equipped to navigate what’s next.
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### How do you envision the role of women evolving in the next decade of finance and fintech leadership?
I expect to see more women leading in data strategy, market structure, and regulatory innovation. As technology continues to redefine the trade lifecycle, the leaders who can connect compliance, analytics, and performance will drive the industry forward.
Women are increasingly at the center of that shift.
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### What advice would you give to young women aiming to lead in areas like market structure, regulatory tech, or financial analytics?
Get comfortable with data — really understand how to use it to make informed decisions. But don’t rely on it alone. The best leaders know how to balance analytics with intuition.
Just like in trade surveillance, you still need a human in the loop. Data will guide you, but judgment, instincts, and emotional intelligence are what bring it to life.
The combination of both sharp analytical skills and a strong EQ is what allows people to lead effectively, inspire teams, and drive ideas forward with confidence.
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Lisa Balter Saacks’ insights highlight the importance of combining technology, human judgment, and inclusive leadership to navigate the complex, evolving world of finance and technology. Her leadership philosophy and vision demonstrate how clarity, curiosity, and collaboration pave the way for innovation and resilience in today’s markets.
https://www.marketsmedia.com/ai-execution-and-leadership-a-conversation-with-lisa-balter-saacks/
