Compliance Guru Independent Director Services
for Community Financial Institutions
ABOUT

A Professional Lifetime
in Financial Services

Thomas Hinkel
Thomas HinkelIndependent Director Services

I have spent the vast majority of my professional career working in and around financial services, with a particular focus on community financial institutions and the increasingly complex technology, regulatory, and governance risk issues they face.

Over the course of that career, I have worked very closely with financial institution executives, directors, auditors, technology professionals, consultants, and regulators from multiple perspectives. That experience has given me a broad view of how issues intersect—and how decisions made in one area can create implications elsewhere.

My professional development has followed much the same path. I have maintained certifications across information systems auditing, risk management, cybersecurity, business continuity, and third-party risk management.

As I firmly believe that the challenges financial institutions face, combined with the rapid pace of change in the threat environment, require a commitment to continuing education, I remain professionally engaged in financial services, allowing me to stay current with the issues facing community financial institutions while devoting more of my time to opportunities where my experience and perspective can be most useful.

I now want to bring that accumulated experience and perspective directly into the boardroom.

Banking Education & Industry Engagement

I have served as an instructor at the Mississippi School of Banking and have conducted classes for the Iowa Bankers Association, Illinois Bankers Association, and Georgia Bankers Association. I have also spoken at numerous banking conferences, industry programs, and professional events on topics involving risk management, cybersecurity, technology, regulatory developments, business continuity, third-party risk management, and governance.

For nearly a decade, I also served as the principal author of the professional content published on ComplianceGuru.com, writing extensively about regulatory developments, technology, cybersecurity, risk management, and other issues affecting community financial institutions.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Professional Credentials, Affiliations & Recognition

Professional Certifications & Credentials

  • Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)ISACA
  • Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP)DRI International
  • Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP)Shared Assessments
  • Certified in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA)Institute of Internal Auditors
  • Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA)Institute of Internal Auditors

Continuing Professional Education

  • USF InfoSec GRC Analyst ProgramUniversity of South Florida, Corporate Training and Professional Education
  • GenAI in Action: Impact and PossibilitiesUniversity of South Florida, Office of Microcredentials

Professional Affiliations & Recognition

  • FBI InfraGard National Members AllianceMember — Financial Services Sector
  • ISACA South Carolina ChapterMember
  • Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society
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