Andreas Westgaard Email & Phone Number

California, United States

San Francisco, California, United States

Upgrade is a fintech company that provides affordable and responsible credit, mobile banking, and payment products to everyday consumers. We were the fastest growing company in the Americas last year according to the Financial Times and Upgrade Card was the fastest growing credit card in America two years in a row. We have delivered over $25 billion in affordable and responsible credit to our 2.7M customers.

Klaros Group is an advisory and investment firm focused on the future of financial services. Klaros combines business know-how and deep regulatory expertise to help financial innovators and incumbents define and achieve their business goals while meeting regulatory expectations.Representative Engagements✣ Developed BSA/AML programs for over a dozen fintech and digital asset clients by drafting key program documentation and performing risk assessments tailored to novel business models.✣ Worked with seven neobanks and fintechs on filing applications for de novo bank charters, providing strategic advice on the required organizational transformation and developing core components of the charter application, including the business plan, pro forma financials, and financial inclusion plan.✣ Worked with a partner bank under an enforcement action to develop and implement a comprehensive action plan to remediate the deficiencies identified by the regulators.✣ Partnered with a major global payments company to perform a gap assessment of its compliance and risk management programs prior to launching a crypto product in the U.S. and helped the client receive regulatory approval for its license application.✣ Led teams in performing independent audits of fintechs' BSA/AML and CMS programs on behalf of their partner bank.✣ Drafted a series regulatory correspondence for a client offering a digital identity solution to explain its public policy benefits and advocate for greater regulatory clarity in the digital identity space.✣ Led a staffing needs assessment for a large credit union to guide the build out of its regulatory relations function, which involved reviewing the team’s skills and experience, identifying gaps, and making recommendations in alignment with regulatory expectations.✣ Advised a major global bank’s U.S. business in planning for a range of political, economic, and regulatory scenarios in advance of the 2020 U.S. elections.

Promontory Financial Group, an IBM Company, is a leading strategy, risk management, and regulatory-compliance consulting firm focusing on the financial services industry.Representative Engagements✣ Advised three fintech clients applying for new bank charters on growth strategy and regulatory compliance, which involved developing detailed business plans, creating regulatory communications, and drafting foundational governance documents.✣ Co-led a 10+ person team to transform the compliance and risk management functions of one large and one midsize U.S. bank facing regulatory scrutiny, which involved building comprehensive, multi-year action plans and guiding the execution of over 50 tasks across three main workstreams.✣ Led multi-year engagements to stand up enhanced regulatory relations functions at two Top 50 U.S. banks by building new target operating models, providing subject matter expertise during key regulatory examinations, and creating revised reporting to regulators, senior management, and the Board of Directors.

San Francisco Bay Area

Greater Boston Area

The HGVCG was founded in 2008 and has provided pro bono consulting services to over a dozen clients, from small startups to publicly traded multi-million dollar companies.Representative Engagements✣Led an engagement team working with the City of Boston on developing a strategy to attract, retain, and increase human capital.✣ Worked with a U.S. chocolate maker to develop a marketing strategy for one of its new products.

Greater New York City Area

HC Technologies, LLC is an algorithmic proprietary trading firm principally located in Chicago.✣ Enhanced HC Tech's risk management program by designing a suite of internal controls and associated governance documents.

Washington D.C.

The Division of Reserve Bank Operations and Payment Systems oversees the policies and operations of the Federal Reserve Banks as providers of financial services to depository institutions and as providers of fiscal agency services to the U.S. Treasury and other government agencies.✣ Led team bank reviews that assessed risks surrounding the policies and operations of the Reserve Banks providing fiscal agency services to the U.S. Treasury, and designed a strategy to oversee an interbank consolidation impacting over 1,100 staff and 12 core business lines.✣ Wrote briefings to senior management on industry trends and regulatory gaps concerning retail payments, drafted responses to public and Congressional inquiries, and twice authored the annual Report to Congress on Government-Administered Prepaid Cards mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act.✣ Supported the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments initiative, which was the precursor to FedNow, by facilitating workshops and drafting communications for three national conferences of 200+ payments industry experts.

Washington D.C.

Pew is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life.✣ Performed data analysis and conducted research on federal budget, tax, and regulatory policies to inform federal and state policy makers how federal fiscal actions impact states’ budgets and economies.✣ Edited, fact-checked, and provided data quality control for publications to preserve institutional integrity and non-partisan credibility for publications and assisted with external press communications.✣ Researched and co-wrote a report on the fiscal cliff and online interactive, featured in over 50 leading publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Pew is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life.✣ Worked with a team of researchers to create Pew’s Elections Performance Index, an original index analyzing academic and governmental datasets measuring statewide election performance, and presented findings to election experts at four national conferences.

Greater Boston Area

Greater Boston Area

Moscow, Russian Federation

Master In Public Policy, Business And Government Policy, Graduated With Distinction

Activities and Societies: Managing Editor, Harvard Kennedy School Review; U.S.-China Study Group, Ash Center for Democratic Governance.

M.A., Political Science, Gpa: 3.93/4.00

Graduated from Boston University's four-year BA/MA program, completing my master's degree concurrently with my bachelor's degree. My field.

B.A., Political Science, History, Summa Cum Laude And Phi Beta Kappa

History: Concentration in International Relations Political Science: Concentration in American Politics

International Summer School Scholar

Intensive study of Norwegian language, history, and politics.

Ib, Higher Level: History, English, And Psychology

Activities and Societies: International BaccalaureateIB Examination: 40/45