Blake International Management LLC

Chief Executive Officer

I’m Falan Blake a nursing student and CNA with a vision to bridge psychiatry, neurology, and nursing research. My journey into healthcare is deeply personal. I’ve lost loved ones to stroke and heart disease, and my child lives with a serious mental illness that changed the course of our lives. 

What drives me is the question why…why the brain and body respond the way they do, and how we can move beyond treating symptoms to addressing root causes.

My focus is pediatric neurology and mental health nursing, with long-term plans to pursue a dual PHD/DNP and position myself as a nurse scientist. I believe nursing can play a greater role in reshaping how we understand brain health from advocating for advanced imaging in psychiatric care to exploring new pathways for trauma-informed recovery.

This isn’t just a career shift; it’s a lifelong mission. My platform will document my academic journey, share insights at the intersection of psychiatry and neurology, and build awareness for research-based nursing care.

If you’re interested in the future of brain health, nursing research, or cross-disciplinary collaboration, let’s connect here and on (Twitter)


Falan Blake

Huntington National Bank

◆SCOPE: Operations, Risk, and Chief of Staff to the Chief Strategy Officer. Responsible for driving key initiatives and ensuring cross-functional alignment among executives and stakeholders. A critical member of the Enterprise Strategy and Corporate Ventures leadership team

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪Development of combined teams governance practices and continuous improvement of group processes
▪Creation of risk management practices and documentation including risk identification and audit preparation
▪Designed and implemented partnership and investment frameworks, policies, and process maps to support scalable growth
▪Developed toolsets and onboarding of services to enhance operational efficiency and drive sustainable expansion including contract negotiation and renewal
▪ Developing API's that enable the successful delivery of partnerships and investments

Director, Operations & Risk - Enterprise Strategy & Corporate Ventures Groups (2024 – Present)

◆SCOPE: Founding member of the banks 1rst Corporate Ventures group reporting to the Head of Ventures.  Responsible for delivery, enablement, and management of strategic partnerships and investments

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪ Established the 1st corporate ventures partnership and investment process and structure
▪ Creation of a novel delivery framework and operational procedures significantly reducing time to implement partnerships and investments
▪ Advanced profitable partnerships and investments within 3 years
▪ Engaged in the design, delivery, and governance of the venture group’s portfolio of initiatives, toolsets, and processes which streamlined partnerships and investments
▪ Planned and executed the teams national conference strategy to increase brand status, networking, and relationships

Portfolio Manager & Vice President, Venture Capital, Partnerships & Investments (2020 – 2024)

◆ SCOPE: Founding team member of the Enterprise Project Management Office.  Drove execution of M&A integration initiatives and delivery of the bank’s Top 10 strategic initiatives. Developed and led cross-functional teams; fostered collaboration to achieve successful initiative delivery. Maintained relationships with key stakeholders. 

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪ Drove revenue growth of 10.6% while capturing OPEX reductions by avoiding regulatory penalties.
▪ Directed the FDIC remediation program post the FirstMerit acquisition; realized 100% compliance ahead of the guideline by digitizing and validating millions of deposit records leveraging AI and enhancing data governance and risk management practices. Recognized for exemplary execution under high-stakes conditions by leaders and regulators.
▪ Deployed Artificial Intelligence Platform to increase internal security
▪ Initiated continuous process and performance improvements; established and governed project management processes and standards. Met rigorous timelines and budgets; mitigated resource inefficiencies.

Enterprise Program Manager & Vice President, M&A and Strategic Initiatives (2017 – 2020)

◆ SCOPE: Seamlessly managed the bank’s Corporate financial technology portfolio delivery and drove complex, high-value projects. Partnered with senior leadership, IT, and business stakeholders to establish goals and priorities, mitigate risk, and bolster the FinTech portfolio.

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪ Turned around underperforming initiatives; determined key challenges, defined corrective actions, and optimized resource allocation to improve timelines, reduce project costs, and maximize project quality.
▪ Drove integration of new IT systems and infrastructures; ensured seamless implementation and alignment with business requirements.
▪ Led improvement initiatives to streamline project delivery processes and methodologies; introduced new frameworks and tools to maximize project tracking, reporting, and team efficiency.

Senior IT Program Manager and Assistant Vice President, Financial Technology (2017)

◆ SCOPE: Set objectives and led high-profile projects, oversaw cross-functional teams in successful project delivery. Developed strategic project plans and managed project budgets valued from $1M to $10M.

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪ Credited for avoiding the loss of one of the largest bank clients by transforming the project strategy on a failing initiative; realigned project resources, reassessed financial forecasts, and redesigned the overall project strategy.
▪ Built cross-functional teams in alignment with strategic priorities, which boosted productivity and engagement.
▪ Increased employee engagement, improved website traffic, and strengthened customer satisfaction by leading the redesign and development of the corporate intranet and public-facing website. Established a scalable digital infrastructure for growth; earned recognition from the board and CEO for outstanding delivery.
▪ Restored trust and repaired client relationships while ensuring high client retention rates.

Sr. IT Project Manager and Systems Officer, Financial Technology (2013 - 2017)

Citigroup GTS Fund Services

◆ SCOPE: Oversaw high-profile IT projects in all phases of the SDLC to drive successful project planning, estimating, monitoring, and reporting across geographically dispersed cross-functional teams in the US, UK, India, and China and supporting a global client base. SME in IT middle office, client onboarding, and financial reconciliations, providing leadership and guidance in project execution and process improvements. Ensured successful delivery of complex projects across multiple regions and business units, balancing competing priorities. Elected Chair of the Citi SDLC Board; engaged in strategic discussions and ensure best practices in systems development and delivery across the organization.

◆ ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT: 
▪ Realized 90% on-time and within-budget project delivery rate. Successfully outperforming peers in the number, complexity, and hours delivered over multiple quarters. Earned numerous awards for exceptional project delivery.
▪ Avoided the loss of one of the largest clients by realigning resources, revamping project strategies, and rebuilding the project team. Delivered the largest onboarding segment on time and within budget; the 1st successful completion.
▪ Saved upward of $2M by negotiating a rework with 3rd-party vendors. Designed a proprietary solution to deliver a fully functional system at no additional cost.
▪ Drove migration of 5 fund clients to a new financial system. Proposed a no-cost solution to senior management, reducing risk exposure, increasing system access, and ensuring no service interruptions.
▪ Generated $5M in cost savings and cut manual errors by automating a high-risk manual reporting process.

IT Project Manager, Financial Technology

Nord & Associates

Regional Project Manager

Senior Project Manager

Basista.com

Sales Associate

Tessuto&Lane.com

Advisor/Founder

RG Industrial (now Rayhaven)

Intern

FORWARD-THINKING, STRATEGIC, AND RESULTS-DRIVEN are terms I’ve heard others use to describe me. As a high-achieving executive with extensive experience in corporate ventures, strategic partnerships, and investments, I thrive in accelerating innovation, driving enterprise-wide strategies, and enhancing organizational performance through impactful partnerships.

PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS
▸ Expertise in developing scalable processes, deploying capital to drive innovation and business growth, and building and leading teams to top performance. 
▸ Demonstrated success in establishing and growing CVC functions and executing strategic partnerships generating substantial revenue growth. 
▸ Governance, risk management, and M&A integration, with a strong focus on driving operational efficiency, market differentiation, and competitive advantage. 

OPERATIONS & EXECUTION
▸ Recognized as a key member of the strategy and ventures leadership team; steered strategy and vision to drive portfolio growth.
▸ Played a critical role in establishing Huntington Bank's Corporate Ventures Group; developed a formal strategic partnerships and investments process.  Deployed capital into ventures and partnerships over 5 years. Credited for building a scalable, repeatable model.
▸ Developed and delivered a governance and risk framework for the enterprise strategy and corporate ventures group; ensured audit readiness and compliance.   Achieved zero findings in internal and OCC audits.
▸ Executed a bank-wide, global fraud risk assessment following a 7-figure fraud event; established a governance framework for fraud risk evaluation, proactive risk mitigation, and process improvement. 

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT
▸ Increased client satisfaction and digital adoption rates, decreased operational inefficiencies, and led design and launch of Huntington Bank’s omni-channel strategy, which positioned the bank as a market leader in customer experience. 
▸ Designed a suite of enterprise strategy, corporate ventures governance materials, and risk management practices, which resulted in a near-flawless OCC Strategic Planning Exam and successful ventures audit.
▸ Led 50+ cross functional team members in creating a project roadmap, implementing testing protocols, and integrating 2 complex GL systems pre-merge of HNB/FMER.

I always welcome the opportunity to connect with colleagues and friends

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The Battle

Falan Blake

Adam L. Sickinger

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