In this episode of Security Gets Serious, guest host Robert Rodriquez sits down with our regular host, Halcyon Chief Security and Trust officer Ben Carr, and two special guests: Jeff Farnich, SVP Technology & CISO New American Funding, and Daniel Hooper, consultant and former CIO Finfare, to deep-dive on the roles and challenges of the modern CISO.

Guest Host, Robert Rodriguez, Chairman and Founder of SINET and a Venture Partner at SYN Ventures
SINET was founded in June 2007 by Robert, a former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent, as an organization dedicated to advancing innovation and fostering global collaboration between the public and private sectors to combat cybersecurity threats. SINET serves as a bridge connecting entrepreneurs, industry and government risk executives, chief information security officers, venture capitalists, and private equity firms. Through workshops, conferences, and public-private partnership dinners, SINET facilitates high-level engagements among cybersecurity professionals. In addition to his role at SINET, Mr. Rodriguez is a Venture Partner at SYN Ventures, focusing on investments in early-stage cybersecurity companies. He also serves on several cybersecurity advisory boards and has been called upon to advise both private industry and federal governments in developing public-private partnership models and engaging with the entrepreneurial and venture capital communities. Before establishing SINET, Mr. Rodriguez served for 22 years as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service. During his tenure, he held various executive leadership positions, including roles within the Presidential Protection Detail, Protective Intelligence, Inspection, Criminal Investigation Division, and the Counter Assault Team. His executive protection experience spanned a decade at the White House, where he served Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as numerous heads of state.

Panelists:

Daniel Hooper, Consultant and former CIO at Finfare: With over 20 years in cybersecurity, Daniel has built a career at the intersection of technical expertise and executive leadership leading high-performing teams and tackled complex challenges at organizations like IBM, Deloitte, PIMCO, Varo Bank, and Robinhood. Highlights include redesigning a global insurance company’s IT Risk Management program across 14 international entities, building PIMCO’s global security program, meeting OCC regulatory requirements at Varo Bank, and serving as CISO for Robinhood’s Brokerage division. His work with regulators, board members, and executive teams has shaped a strategic approach that delivers impactful results while mentoring teams to excel. You can also catch Daniel on a webinar February 19th discussing Managing Access Control in 2025 & Beyond – register here.

Jeff Farnich, SVP Technology & CISO New American Funding: Jeff Farinich is a visionary technology executive with over 25 years’ experience driving enterprise capabilities leading IT and Security strategy, people, processes, and governance. Since 2019 Jeff has been the SVP Technology Services and Chief Information Security Officer at New American Funding, a privately owned national direct mortgage lender. Jeff serves as the Control officer for NMLS Mortgage licensing for all 50 states and is a member of executive committees. Previously Jeff worked in various leadership roles at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Cisco Systems, NDS Group (subsidiary of News Corp), and other organizations. Jeff has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, a Bachelor of Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University and completed a CIO Executive Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management. Jeff holds Project Management Professional, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Informa