Hillary Gardner

I advise growth-stage and mid-market companies in financial services, fintech, SaaS, and consumer technology on the compliance, governance, and regulatory issues that come up as a business scales. I also serve as outside general counsel to early-stage companies.

My practice centers on building compliance programs that work in day-to-day operations. I assess regulatory exposure, draft policies and procedures, build training, and set up governance structures. I previously served as Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Corporate Counsel at Credigy Solutions, a specialty finance subsidiary of National Bank of Canada. There I oversaw the full enterprise compliance program, covering AML/BSA, OFAC sanctions, data privacy, and consumer financial regulation, and I co-founded the company’s AI Governance Committee. Before that, I built the compliance department at The Elf on the Shelf, including supplier compliance across its international manufacturing network and the retailer requirements for Target and Walmart.

My core practice areas:

-- Regulatory compliance: consumer financial protection (FCRA, FDCPA, UDAAP, TCPA), AML/BSA, OFAC, GLBA, data privacy and cybersecurity (CCPA/CPRA, HIPAA, state breach laws), FTC compliance, and employment compliance as companies grow. --Corporate governance: bylaws, board resolutions, committee charters, and governance policies for companies and nonprofits, including companies getting ready for institutional investors. AI governance: acceptable use policies, AI vendor diligence, and fair lending risk in AI-assisted decisions. --Product compliance: finding which rules apply to a new product before it launches. --Vendor and third-party risk: onboarding frameworks, information security diligence, and supplier requirements from parent companies or bank partners. --Transactional support: working with deal counsel on representations, covenants, indemnities, and liability caps that address compliance and data breach risk.