Biography
Kim M. LaBarbiera is currently Director and Counsel for Third-Party Risk in the General Counsel’s Organization at American Express. In her practice, she provides global legal support to business and legal colleagues related to third-party risk, including strategy, third-party lifecycle management, fintech, bank vendor risk, compliance and audit functions, regulatory requirements and cloud computing, among other areas. Prior to American Express, Kim held various legal, compliance and risk roles including General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer in London, Paris, and New York at firms including USAA, Lloyds Bank, and ING, among other global financial institutions. In April 2023, she was recommended by a U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning Peer Review Panel to serve as a risk management expert in the Fulbright Specialist Program, serving countries and institutions around the globe. Kim holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Boston College, a JD as a Centennial Scholar from Seton Hall Law School and a Masters of Law in Financial Regulation from Georgetown University, where she authored her thesis on the Regulation of Credit Default Swaps. In addition, she holds leadership and technology program certificates from Harvard and FINRA. She has also served in the Observer Program in the Division of Enforcement for the SEC.
Kim is GDPR, CAMS, and CTPRP certified and has previously held Equity and Options FINRA principal licenses, among others. Kim is fluent in Spanish, and conversant in Italian and French, in which she has negotiated contracts for her various clients. She is a member of the New York and New Jersey state bar associations.
Kim resides in Old Town Alexandria, VA, with her husband Rob and her chocolate lab and two cats. They enjoy travel, art appreciation, sailing, skiing, and scuba diving.
Leadership Characteristics
Kim believes in the servant-leader model of leadership and places her clients' needs and satisfaction as the cornerstone of her practice. A few of Kim's work mottos are: Some management principles will never go out of style, especially the one where you realize it is all about the people; Be the change you want to see in the company; Consider adopting progress over perfection and, Insist on having a job you love and loving your job, without compromise.
Leadership Challenges
"The financial services field has always been feast or famine which means members of its community must learn to embrace and thrive in periods of change. I have lost track of all the mergers, acquisitions and other industry changes through which I have navigated. If you work very hard, and stay passionate, the opportunities to weather the storm present themselves. The trick is to stay focused on the core principles: do your very best, freshen your skills everyday if possible, especially tech, be an excellent steward of the company, care about others, be fair, be patient, and try to smile and laugh as much as possible. Everything else takes care of itself."
Key Take-a-ways
"The financial services field has always been feast or famine which means members of its community must learn to embrace and thrive in periods of change. I have lost track of all the mergers, acquisitions and other industry changes through which I have navigated. If you work very hard, and stay passionate, the opportunities to weather the storm present themselves. The trick is to stay focused on the core principles: do your very best, freshen your skills everyday if possible, especially tech, be an excellent steward of the company, care about others, be fair, be patient, and try to smile and laugh as much as possible. Everything else takes care of itself."
Fun Fact
I am an avid scuba diver and white water rafter and have been lucky enough to have gotten to go all over the world: Australia, Bali, Croatia, Italy, Mexico, Florida Keys, Oman, Grand Caymen and Belize.