Tech@RBC Insider Series – Banking on Site Reliability and Chaos Engineering
Join us for an in-depth exploration of site reliability engineering featuring experts from Tech@RBC. Gary Black, VP of Advice Centre and Branch Technology at RBC, will engage in a conversation with Professor Paul Gries from the University of Toronto to discuss RBC's digital transformation and innovation initiatives as well as the significance of site reliability engineering. Next, participate in an interactive workshop led by Marat Khandros, Senior Director of Gen AI Development and Distinguished Engineer at RBC alongside Patrick Turney, Director, Cloud, delving into debugging techniques and chaos engineering principles. This two-part session is designed to provide insights into the strategies employed by leading tech companies to maintain system resilience and reliability in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
You'll learn how RBC's team of site reliability engineers take applications to the next level, operationalizing and maintaining a system beyond development to ensure long-term resiliency.
This event is exclusively for U of T students. Spots are limited, don’t miss out!
Part 1: Tech talk
30-minute talk + 15-minute Q&A
Hear about Gary’s journey from computer science student to industry leader
Explore the evolution of technology in finance and how site reliability practices are applied at a bank
Understand the cultural shift towards engineering for reliability
Part 2: Food & drinks
30-minute networking
Opportunity to meet RBC technologists and early talent recruiters while enjoying food and drinks
Part 3: Site reliability workshop
90-minute workshop
Tackle two real-world scenarios in a hands-on workshop (case study and tools provided);
Debugging – learn how to identify and fix errors in an application through a sandbox format
Chaos engineering – work in teams to design and execute experiments to test application resiliency
Details:
📆 Wednesday, November 26, 5:00–8:00 p.m. (Registration & pre-event networking starts at 4:30 p.m.)
📍 U of T Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, 108 College St
💻 No experience needed — just bring your laptop
🍕 Free event, food provided
About the speaker:
Meet Gary Black, VP, Advice Centre and Branch Technology, RBC
As the Vice President of Advice Centre, Branch Technology, and MarTech at RBC, Gary leads a team focused on driving innovation and strategic direction for client and advisor-facing technology solutions across RBC's Advice Centers, branches, and marketing initiatives. His key responsibilities include developing technology strategies to enhance personalized, omni-channel client experiences, leading the transformation of technology platforms such as AI, CRM, and digital marketing technologies, and collaborating with multiple lines of business to execute and measure marketing campaigns. Prior to joining RBC in March 2023, Gary held leadership roles at Recipe Unlimited, DoubleClick, and Shop.ca, bringing extensive experience in ecommerce, CRM, and digital marketing technologies. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.
About the speaker:
Meet Paul Gries, Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Paul is a Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Computer Science. He has been dedicated to advancing the teaching mission of the department since 1999, including developing the first MOOC at U of T (with Jen Campbell), with over 25,000 learners successfully completing the course since its launch in 2012. Paul has co-authored two introductory textbooks on programming. He served as the DCS Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in 2014. In 2015, he became the first Arts & Science teaching stream faculty member to serve at the decanal level, as Acting Vice-Dean for Teaching and Learning in FAS. He has appeared on the National to explain computer coding concepts. For his efforts, Paul has been recognized with the Faculty of Arts and Science Outstanding Teaching Award, the U of T President’s Teaching Award, and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations teaching award. He has twice won the U of T’s Student Union/Association of Part-time Undergraduate Student Teaching Award for teaching excellence and been recognized nine times for teaching excellence by the undergraduate CS Student Union.
About the speaker:
Meet Marat Khandros, Senior Director, Gen AI Development & Distinguished Engineer, RBC
Marat Khandros joined ACBTMT in June 2025, to oversee the launch and execution of Gen AI capabilities and Async Chat expansion and distribution. Over the past decade, Marat has held multiple roles at RBC ranging from Tech Infrastructure to Digital Platform Engineering to name a few. Coupled with his extensive knowledge of RBC platforms and his background in writing and maintaining (and breaking) software and platforms, Marat was awarded the TDP Distinguished Engineer title in 2021. Despite being a proud resident of New York City, you'll often find him in his second home - Toronto. Outside of work, Marat enjoys riding his motorcycle, BBQing with friends, watching UFC, and spending time with this better half and beautiful daughters.
About the speaker:
Meet Patrick Turney, Director, Cloud, RBC
Patrick is a dedicated Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) leader with a profound interest in optimizing system performance and ensuring unparalleled reliability. With a keen eye for operational excellence, Patrick guides teams in building robust, scalable, and resilient systems. Recognizing the critical importance of proactive problem-solving and automated solutions, Patrick empowers SRE practices at RBC through innovative strategies and cutting-edge technologies, leveraging them to drive continuous improvement and enhance the stability of our digital infrastructure. In the past, Patrick has contributed to various high-impact SRE initiatives across diverse financial technology landscapes. Patrick is an active advocate for SRE best practices and shares insights within the technical community, both within and outside of RBC.
About the Tech@RBC Insider Series:
The Tech@RBC Insider Series is a four-part annual program designed to equip students with industry-ready skills and facilitate meaningful connections with experts in the field. This event series is co-hosted by Tech@RBC, U of T Arts & Science and Applied Science & Engineering.
Stay tuned for information on future sessions:
Product Ownership: February 3, 2026
Technical Careers: March 19, 2026
This event is proudly sponsored by
About Tech@RBC:
Students and new grads are an important part of building our future in tech as a digitally-enabled relationship bank, and central to our purpose to help clients thrive and communities prosper. With hundreds of roles, across dozens of work streams, there are countless opportunities for you to learn, grow, and work with purpose, while launching your career in tech.
Learn more about starting your career at RBC in tech.