Churchill and Harriman

Ken Peterson has more than 30 years of experience developing and implementing enterprise risk management and human resources consulting solutions. Peterson founded Churchill & Harriman (C&H) in 1986. Beginning in 1997, C&H has developed and implemented enterprise risk management and third-party risk management solutions for large enterprises. C&H helps clients select and implement controls, processes and tools that identify, measure and manage enterprise risk.

Under Peterson’s leadership, C&H advises clients on enterprise risk strategy and is entrusted by healthcare and financial services clients to settle global regulatory findings. C&H protects and enables enterprise and government agencies’ critical infrastructure. C&H also serves Fortune 100 clients in healthcare, defense, entertainment, finance, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, mobile commerce, technology and transportation. Under Peterson’s stewardship, C&H has executed thousands of third-party risk assessments globally beginning in 1998.

C&H is an Assessment Firm Member of the Shared Assessments (SA) Program, actively contributing to the AUP, the SIG, the Technical Development Committee and public outreach programs. Peterson serves on the SA Program’s Steering Committee, External Advisory Board and as the formal liaison between these two bodies. Peterson was also an original President’s Leadership Team Member for the PhRMA-sponsored SAFE-BioPharma Association; C&H consults to the Association and its members.

Peterson is an active leader in the international standards community and C&H earned the distinction of being the first approved ISO 27001 and BS 25999 (ISO 22301) Associate Consultancy by a leading global registrar.

Peterson and Churchill & Harriman are privileged to support several charities, including the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Plan International USA, Special Operations Fund, The Earth Institute and UNICEF.

Ed Beesley is the Chief Operating Officer at Churchill & Harriman with overall responsibility for Sales, Operations, Technology, Product, Strategy and Delivery. Ed has over 40 years of cross-industry experience in driving positive change and is a highly experienced executive with a proven record of developing strategies and business operations that drive business results. Previously Ed was the Global Head of IT and Digital Services for the Certification and Business Enhancement (CBE) business at SGS based out of Geneva, Switzerland. Ed was responsible for the creation of SGS’ global cybersecurity business and for the applications required to run the business. Formerly, Ed was Senior Vice President for Gartner where he oversaw Gartner’s entire infrastructure including IT, facilities, real estate, travel, security, purchasing, client care, business operations and services. Ed also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Operations Officer for Escada AG, a Germany based Women’s fashion company.

Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Rutgers University and an MBA in Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He has served on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey chapter of The Society of Information Managers (SIM) as well as the boards of two California based private corporations. Ed has also been a charter member of the New York Electronics Crime Task Force administered by the United States Secret Service since 2000.

Dan Pinto has more than 30 years experience as a practitioner and advisor in Global Enterprise Risk Management. He is a seasoned executive and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with extensive experience in developing and implementing Information Security Architecture, IT Architecture, Risk Management, and Risk Assessment strategies and advising SMBs, midmarket firms, and large, global enterprises in all sectors.

Dan has extensive experience in developing Enterprise Security solutions, Enterprise Security policy, training and awareness programs, and in the execution of risk assessments and management of mitigation decisions. He has strong experience in program and portfolio management, and in the creation and implementation of governance processes that are supported by facts and data from established metrics.

Dan is an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. He has functioned as both lead SME on multi-year critical programs, and also managed global teams. He has practiced in both the government and private sectors, serving domestic and international clients and has participated in risk management programs for prominent Government, Healthcare and Financial organizations.

Early in Dan’s career, he participated in the development and deployment of some of our nation’s most critical and technically advanced information security systems for The National Security Agency and the Department of Defense.

Dan currently serves on the Board of Directors of the InfraGard Jacksonville Members Alliance, serving in the roles of President and the Secretary. He has served as the Southeast Regional Coordinator for InfraGard National for four years, coordinating the activities of 13 local InfraGard Chapters from Baltimore to Puerto Rico. All of these InfraGard roles focus on regular and ongoing coordination and collaboration with FBI resources with the goal of protecting America’s critical infrastructure assets.

Dr. Chris Golden is a retired Colonel from the United States Air Force. In his over 20 years of service, he held various flying, command, and staff positions around the globe, including with USCENTCOM and U.S. Strategic Command.

Upon his retirement from active duty, Dr. Golden went to work designing cybersecurity solutions for Wall Street, where his employer processed over $1 trillion a day in security transactions. His next challenge was in the healthcare industry where he has worked for the payor, provider, and medical device manufacturers, prior to joining Churchill & Harriman. Serving as a CISO in two of those roles, Dr. Golden executed at the very epicenter of the global financial services industry, the healthcare industry, and the defense industry.

Dr. Golden was a foundational contributor to the establishment and development of the U.S. Department of Defense’s groundbreaking CMMC Program, meant to enforce the protection of sensitive unclassified information shared by the Department with its contractors and subcontractors.

Dr. Golden’s PhD is in Cybersecurity and, additionally, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a Master’s of Science in Computer Information Systems, and another Master’s in Strategic Planning from the Naval War College. He also retains CISSP, CISA, HCISPP and additional industry cybersecurity certifications.

Sameer Somal is Managing Director of Digital Transformation for Churchill & Harriman and a Co-Founder of Blue Ocean Global Technology and Girl Power Talk. He is a CFA Charterholder, a CFP® professional, and a Chartered Alternative Investment AnalystSM. Sameer leads client engagements focused on digital transformation, risk management, and technology development. A testifying subject matter expert witness in economic damages, intellectual property, and internet defamation, he authors CLE programs with the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Sameer is a frequent speaker at private industry and public sector conferences, including engagements with the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB), Global Digital Marketing Summit, IBM, New York State Bar Association (NYBSA), US Defense Leadership Forum, and US State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.

He proudly serves on the Board of Directors of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Girl Power USA. Committed to building relationships, Sameer is an active member of the Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA), Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB), American Bar Association (ABA), American Marketing Association (AMA), Business Transition Council, International Trademark Association (INTA), and Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF). A graduate of Georgetown University, he held leadership roles at Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Scotiabank. Sameer is also a CFA Institute 2022 Inspirational Leader Award recipient and was named an Iconic Leader by the Women Economic Forum.