Reimagining Digital Banking with Luis Miguel Zapata
As Vice President of Ecosystems at Bancolombia—one of Latin America’s leading financial institutions—Luis Miguel Zapata drives the Digital Ecosystem’s strategy, leading customer-centric innovation and integrating emerging technologies across key business lines. His work focuses on building connected ecosystems that create sustainable value for millions of customers.
Seeking deeper strategic frameworks to accelerate responsible AI adoption and strengthen the bank’s innovation roadmap, Luis joined Leading Digital Transformation: Rebuilding Organizations for the Era of AI. The program’s global perspective and practical planning tools aligned closely with Bancolombia’s long-term vision. We asked Luis to share how the program reshaped his approach to building scalable digital ecosystems and accelerating transformation at Bancolombia.
What did you hope to achieve by joining Leading Digital Transformation program?
I hoped to gain strategic tools to lead digital transformation with greater impact, better understand how to scale innovation and entrepreneurship within a big organization, and enhance my ability to integrate disruptive technologies into our business models.
Which topics most influenced your understanding of digital leadership and AI value creation?
The DX Roadmap, adaptive leadership, and digital ecosystem design. These frameworks helped me rethink how we prioritize, govern, and scale innovation across the bank. They helped me understand how to lead with purpose amid uncertainty and how to build organizational capabilities for sustainable value creation with emerging technologies.
What insights did you gain about balancing innovation with legacy systems?
I learned that balance requires a clear vision, flexible technology architecture, and effective change management. The key is to integrate innovation progressively without losing sight of operational stability and customer trust.
How have you applied your learnings to Bancolombia’s digital ecosystem initiatives?
We’ve strengthened our open ecosystem strategy by incorporating principles of interoperability, collaboration with startups, and ethical data use. We’ve also accelerated applied AI projects in areas such as customer experience and operational efficiency.
What impact has the program had on your strategic priorities or innovation roadmap?
It helped us take a more focused view of what truly matters. Instead of spreading our efforts across too many initiatives, we’re concentrating on the ones that have the potential to scale across the organization. It also pushed us to think more long-term—about where the industry is going and how we can position ourselves now for that future. That clarity is already influencing our planning conversations.
How did the program shape your perspective on leadership in a rapidly changing financial industry?
It reinforced that leadership today is less about having all the answers and more about creating the conditions for people to experiment and learn. In an industry like ours, change is constant, so leaders need to be adaptable and curious. The program reminded me that transformation isn’t only about technology—it’s about people, culture, and mindset.
What advice would you share with other finance leaders pursuing digital transformation?
Start with the real needs of the customer, build strong internal capabilities, foster a culture of experimentation, and surround yourself with diverse talent. Digital transformation is not a destination—it’s a journey that requires vision, resilience, and collaboration.
Sign Up for Email Alerts
Sign up for program updates and content relevant to today's business leaders from Columbia Business School Executive Education.