James helps people understand risk in technology. I provide expert professional services to King & Spalding in IT Governance, IT Risk, and Compliance. I am an expert in reasonable security controls to manage IT risk while enabling complex data intensive global business processes for the firm. To get a feel for the data volume and cybersecurity complexity of the firm's data intensive business processes, note that K&S is managing thousands of matters at any given time and this is reflected in revenue of $1.53 billion last year, the firm’s 11th straight year of revenue and profit growth.

James was also head of IT Risk Management, Business Risk Controls, Group IT Security at Danske Bank. Developed and implemented the IT Risk Strategy for the Corporate Operational Risk Committee and the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), a DKK 175 Million Kroner ($16.8 Million USD) program that mitigated risk outlined by business and addressed regulatory issues such as from the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) and other major risk issues within IT and Cybersecurity.  

At Danske Bank, James designed and implemented the IT Cyber and Operational Risk Strategy for enterprise wide risk-based remediations within all bank wide operational risk. Hired because of my international experience, I am part of the lead team with the Group Corporate executives responding to FSA observations on operational risk, including areas of strategic importance to the bank related to orders of the European and Estonian money laundering rules for the bank's senior management in Copenhagen and the FSA.  Responsible for incident history and end-to-end investigation and regulatory response for Frans Woelders Senior Executive Vice President and COO on an unintentional data corruption in their cloud data center servers. Hired initially as an expert in overall risk control environments and to make significant change in risk management related, in part, to the bank’s decisions or failure to make necessary decisions, which did not prevent risks in money laundering very large amounts through the bank’s Estonian branch. Have laid the foundation for remediations in IT systems to improve the effective monitoring of the business and build stronger risk management to meet stringent EU legislation demands including ITBRC directives, risks and issued orders to the bank regarding the handling of IT risks.

Prior to Danske Bank, James was the Director of Information Governance, Lifecycle and Enterprise Data Strategy at Freddie Mac where he was Director, Information Governance & Data Risk Strategy - Enterprise Information Lifecycle Management 2018-2019. (also, HR Diversity and Inclusion head for Enterprise Operations). 

James developed and implemented the approach and strategy for Data Risk, Governance of Enterprise Information Lifecycle, a $12 Million-dollar program that mitigates risk outlined in the FHFA Advisory Bulletins and other major risk issues and matters requiring attention (MRAs).

His experience from KPMG, MetLife and Lehman Brothers (CMBS transactions) includes high-level business development and client relationship management. He has been responsible for global projects for multi-national corporations requiring end-to-end system automations. He has sold, managed and delivered professional service engagements in the $1 million to $20 million dollar range with full management responsibility for budgetary, scheduling and staffing for over $15 million dollars per annum. 

  • Innovative thinker who can present complex issues in simple and concise ways
  • Strong experience developing and implementing enterprise risk and information governance frameworks
  • Extensive knowledge of industry leading practices in technology for private data processes and readiness for GDPR
  • Served global clients with complicated inter-country coordination and collaboration needs
  • Excellent communication skills and have successfully negotiated compromise within organizations with competing internal interests and goals
  • Designed complex policies, procedures and data control guidelines that are actionable
  • Managed teams as large as 16 people

Responsible for web-based and wireless distributed applications with transactional back-end and legacy systems integration, defining implementation methodologies, core competencies and creating knowledge base that promotes the reuse of solutions solution components and experiences gained from related projects.

• Global projects for multi-national corporations requiring end-to-end system automation using rational iterative software development processes (RUP) following the capability maturity model (CMM). Sold, managed and delivered professional service engagements in the $1 million to $15 million dollar range with full management responsibility for budgetary, scheduling and staffing for over $2 million dollars per annum. Financial services experience in asset-backed collateralized obligations and related trading systems.

• Responsible for technology change management and event management through presence management, messaging audit, re-factoring distributed applications, defining implementation methodologies and reusing solution components.

• Expertise in financial services including Trading, Securitization and Credit Systems in large-scale software integrations with budgets in excess of $14 million dollars and staffs up to 60 technical professionals.

• Developed models for electronically researching marketing, analyzing and pooling more than $2 Billion commercial loans, franchise loans and other fixed income assets. Personally responsible for $500 million in commercial loans as direct lender, managing the information sharing for several principals and vendors simultaneously nationwide. Developed web enabled computer systems for correcting and analyzing legacy financial data providing additional insight and accuracy. He has been able to use existing technologies to create additional revenue or cost savings.

Vertical expertise in Financial Services, High Technology and Credit Systems. Horizontal expertise in CRM, eBusiness, Web Portals, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Financial Systems and credit transactions.

B2B/B2C/B2E applications, including: web, wireless and conventional client-server projects.

Managed large-scale information technology software integrations with budgets in excess of $4 million dollars and staffs up to 60 professionals and including analysts, software-engineers, information architects, user experience designers, quality assurance engineers, technical writers and support staff.

Developed models for electronically marketing, analyzing and pooling commercial, franchise and other fixed income assets closing $500 million in e-commerce commercial loans as direct lender managing several principals simultaneously nationwide. Developed web enabled computer program for correcting and analyzing legacy financial data providing additional insight and accuracy.

Able to develop a clear understanding of a client's current technology and business, to determine preferred position within the industry with a focus on business transaction flows, business processes, process re-engineering designed to create additional revenue or cost savings through the intelligent application of technology. Often, these activities include technology recommendations, alternative approaches and deliverables.

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