Stakeholder Map: FinanceCore Bank

Deal Context: $2.2M security and compliance platform, 3,500 employees, IT, Security, Legal, Risk departments

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Organizational Structure

Note: Public information for FinanceCore Bank is limited. The following structure is pattern-based for a 3,500-employee bank dealing with security/compliance platforms, using typical organizational hierarchies for financial institutions of this size.

Executive Leadership

• CEO → Board of Directors
• CTO: Tom Harris (Sponsor) → Reports to CEO
• CFO → Reports to CEO
• Chief Risk Officer (CRO) → Reports to CEO
• Chief Compliance Officer: Maria Rossi (Contact) → Reports to CEO/CRO
• General Counsel (GC) → Reports to CEO

Technology & Security Division (Reports to CTO)

• VP Information Security / CISO → Reports to CTO
  • Director IT Security Operations
  • Director Application Security
  • Security Architect
• VP Infrastructure & Operations → Reports to CTO
  • Director IT Operations
  • Director Cloud & Platform Engineering

Risk & Compliance Division

• Chief Compliance Officer: Maria Rossi → Reports to CEO/CRO
  • VP Regulatory Compliance
  • Director Compliance Operations
• Chief Risk Officer → Reports to CEO
  • VP Operational Risk
  • VP Technology Risk

Legal & Procurement

• General Counsel → Reports to CEO
  • VP Legal (Contracts)
  • Director Privacy & Data Protection
• VP Procurement → Reports to CFO
  • Director Vendor Risk Management

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Stakeholder Analysis (15 Identified)

SPONSOR: CTO (Tom Harris)

• Role: Executive Sponsor | Influence: Very High | Status: Engaged | Risk: Low
• Motivations: Modernize security posture, reduce compliance burden, strategic platform investment
• Concerns: Integration complexity, vendor lock-in, ROI timeline
• Engagement: Maintain executive alignment, provide strategic roadmap updates

CHAMPION: Chief Compliance Officer (Maria Rossi)

• Role: Champion | Influence: Very High | Status: Engaged | Risk: Low
• Motivations: Streamline compliance workflows, automate reporting, reduce audit findings
• Concerns: Change management, training requirements, audit trail continuity
• Engagement: Provide internal selling tools (CFO business case, CRO one-pager)

CRITICAL GAP: CFO

• Role: Economic Buyer | Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Concerns: $2.2M requires CFO approval at any bank; no deal closes without CFO sign-off
• Engagement: Schedule business case presentation, emphasize ROI, cost avoidance

CRITICAL GAP: CISO / VP Information Security

• Role: Technical Approver | Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Motivations: Reduce security incidents, improve threat detection, consolidate tooling
• Concerns: Platform security, integration with existing stack, staffing
• Engagement: Technical deep dive, architecture review, reference customer calls

CRITICAL GAP: General Counsel

• Role: Gatekeeper | Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Motivations: Legal risk mitigation, regulatory defensibility, data privacy
• Concerns: Contract terms, liability, data sovereignty
• Engagement: Proactive legal briefing, provide contract templates, DPA

CRITICAL GAP: Chief Risk Officer

• Role: Approver | Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Motivations: Reduce operational risk, strengthen controls, regulatory readiness
• Concerns: Third-party risk, business continuity
• Engagement: Risk assessment briefing, BCP review, regulatory mapping

HIGH PRIORITY: VP Procurement

• Role: Gatekeeper | Influence: Medium-High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: HIGH
• Motivations: Vendor consolidation, cost optimization
• Concerns: Pricing benchmarking, multi-year commitment
• Engagement: Early pricing transparency, flexible payment terms

HIGH PRIORITY: Director Vendor Risk Management

• Role: Gatekeeper | Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: HIGH
• Motivations: Third-party due diligence, vendor financial stability
• Concerns: SOC 2 Type II, financial health, BCP
• Engagement: Proactive vendor risk questionnaire submission

INFLUENCER: VP Regulatory Compliance

• Role: Influencer | Influence: Medium-High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Automate regulatory reporting, reduce manual work
• Reports to: Maria Rossi (Champion)
• Engagement: Regulatory mapping session, compliance deep dive

INFLUENCER: VP Technology Risk

• Role: Influencer | Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Strengthen technology risk controls
• Reports to: Chief Risk Officer
• Engagement: Risk control framework alignment

INFLUENCER: Director IT Security Operations

• Role: Technical Evaluator | Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Reduce security operations workload, improve incident response
• Reports to: CISO
• Engagement: Hands-on technical POC

INFLUENCER: VP Infrastructure & Operations

• Role: Influencer | Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Platform stability, infrastructure security
• Reports to: CTO (Tom Harris)
• Engagement: Infrastructure architecture review

INFLUENCER: Director Privacy & Data Protection

• Role: Gatekeeper | Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Data privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA)
• Reports to: General Counsel
• Engagement: Privacy impact assessment, DPA review

TECHNICAL EVALUATOR: Director Application Security

• Role: Technical Evaluator | Influence: Medium-Low | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Low
• Reports to: CISO
• Engagement: Application security integration demo

TECHNICAL EVALUATOR: Director Compliance Operations

• Role: Technical Evaluator | Influence: Medium-Low | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Low
• Reports to: Maria Rossi (Champion)
• Engagement: Compliance workflow demonstration

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Buying Committee Summary

Stakeholder	Role	Influence	Status	Risk
Tom Harris (CTO)	Sponsor	Very High	Engaged	Low
Maria Rossi (CCO)	Champion	Very High	Engaged	Low
CFO	Economic Buyer	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
CISO/VP InfoSec	Technical Approver	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
General Counsel	Gatekeeper (Legal)	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
Chief Risk Officer	Approver	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
VP Procurement	Gatekeeper (Contracts)	Med-High	Not engaged	HIGH
Dir Vendor Risk Mgmt	Gatekeeper (Due Diligence)	Medium	Not engaged	HIGH
VP Regulatory Compliance	Influencer	Med-High	Not engaged	Medium
VP Technology Risk	Influencer	Medium	Not engaged	Medium
Dir IT Security Ops	Technical Evaluator	Medium	Not engaged	Medium
VP Infrastructure	Influencer	Medium	Not engaged	Medium
Dir Privacy & Data Protection	Gatekeeper (Privacy)	Medium	Not engaged	Medium
Dir Application Security	Technical Evaluator	Med-Low	Not engaged	Low
Dir Compliance Ops	Technical Evaluator	Med-Low	Not engaged	Low

Single-Threading Assessment: CRITICAL RISK - Engaged with 2 of 15 stakeholders (13% coverage)

Missing Critical Approvers: CFO, CISO, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer (4 executive-level blockers)

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Risk Assessment & Mitigation

CRITICAL RISKS (Deal Killers)

1. CFO Not Engaged - No $2.2M Deal Closes Without CFO

• Impact: Deal cannot proceed to contract without CFO budget approval
• Mitigation: Qualify with Tom/Maria: “Has CFO verbally approved $2.2M budget?” → Schedule CFO business case presentation within 2 weeks

2. CISO Not Engaged - Security Platform Requires CISO Approval

• Impact: CISO can veto any security/compliance platform
• Mitigation: Request CISO intro from Tom immediately → Provide SOC 2 Type II, penetration test results

3. General Counsel Not Engaged - Legal Review Adds 4-8 Weeks

• Impact: Banks require intensive legal review for $2.2M vendors
• Mitigation: Engage Legal in parallel with business approval → Provide standard contract, DPA upfront

4. Chief Risk Officer Not Engaged - Risk Approval Required

• Impact: CRO approval mandatory for platforms impacting operational/technology/compliance risk
• Mitigation: Request CRO briefing from Maria → Position as risk mitigation investment

HIGH RISKS (Delay Risks)

5. Procurement Not Engaged - RFP/Competitive Bid Process Risk

• Impact: Procurement may require competitive RFP (adds 6-12 weeks)
• Mitigation: Qualify with Tom/Maria: “Does procurement require RFP for sole-source $2.2M?”

6. Vendor Risk Management Not Engaged - Due Diligence Delay

• Impact: Vendor risk questionnaires, financial reviews (4-8 weeks minimum)
• Mitigation: Proactively submit vendor risk questionnaire, SOC 2 Type II, financials

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Multi-Threading Strategy

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-2): Strengthen Champions & Qualify Authority

With Maria (Champion):

• Map full buying process: “Walk me through every approval gate from here to signed contract”
• Qualify authority: “Has the $2.2M budget been approved by CFO?” “Do you need board approval?”
• Surface gatekeepers: “Who handles vendor risk assessments?” “Does Legal review all contracts?”
• Provide internal selling tools: CFO one-pager, CRO one-pager, executive summary

With Tom (Sponsor):

• Validate org structure: “Who reports to you that should evaluate this?”
• Multi-threading strategy: “Can you introduce me to CISO for technical alignment?”
• Political landscape: “Any concerns from other executives we should address proactively?”

Phase 2 (Weeks 2-4): Engage Critical Approvers (PARALLEL)

CRITICAL PATH 1: CFO

• When: Week 2
• What to Position: Cost avoidance (regulatory fine risk), audit cost savings, ROI timeline
• Goal: Secure verbal budget approval

CRITICAL PATH 2: CISO

• When: Week 2 (PARALLEL to CFO)
• What to Position: Security consolidation, threat detection improvement, integration with existing stack
• Goal: Technical validation, CISO championship

CRITICAL PATH 3: General Counsel

• When: Week 3
• What to Position: Proactive approach with standard contract templates, DPA, privacy commitments
• Goal: Identify contract blockers early

CRITICAL PATH 4: Chief Risk Officer

• When: Week 3 (PARALLEL to Legal)
• What to Position: Risk reduction, regulatory readiness, third-party risk profile
• Goal: CRO approval or sponsorship

Phase 3 (Weeks 4-6): Engage Gatekeepers & Influencers

Procurement & Vendor Risk (Week 4)

• VP Procurement: Early pricing transparency, payment terms flexibility
• Dir Vendor Risk: Complete vendor risk questionnaire, provide SOC 2, financials

Technical Evaluators (Weeks 4-5)

• Dir IT Security Ops: Hands-on technical POC
• VP Regulatory Compliance: Regulatory use case deep dive
• Dir Privacy: Privacy impact assessment

Phase 4 (Weeks 6-8): Final Approvals & Contracting

• Legal contract review and redlines
• Procurement negotiations
• Executive steering committee briefing (if required)
• Board approval (if required for $2.2M)
• Contract execution

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Stakeholder Messaging Guide

CFO: ROI & Cost Avoidance

• “This platform reduces regulatory risk exposure and delivers measurable cost savings through compliance automation.”
• Cost Avoidance: Regulatory fines for compliance failures; 2-3 FTE equivalent labor savings
• Audit Efficiency: Reduce external audit costs by 20-30%
• ROI Timeline: 12-18 month payback; 3-year total savings

CTO (Tom Harris): Strategic Alignment

• “This platform modernizes your security and compliance infrastructure, positioning FinanceCore for regulatory scrutiny and long-term growth.”
• Strategic Vision: Unified platform vs. fragmented point solutions
• Technical Debt Reduction: Replace 3-4 legacy tools
• Regulatory Positioning: Proactive compliance readiness

CCO (Maria Rossi): Internal Selling Tools

• “We’ll equip you with everything needed to sell this internally: ROI calculators, executive summaries, regulatory value maps.”
• Provide: CFO One-Pager, CRO One-Pager, Executive Summary, Regulatory Mapping

CISO: Technical Validation

• “We’ve secured 50+ banks’ most critical systems. Let’s align on architecture, integration, and threat coverage.”
• Security Consolidation: Replace disparate tools with unified platform
• Integration: Pre-built connectors for SIEM, SOAR, IAM
• Proof: SOC 2 Type II, penetration tests, security white papers

General Counsel: Proactive Risk Mitigation

• “We’ve worked with 50+ bank legal teams. Here are our standard terms, common redlines, and privacy commitments.”
• Contract Templates: Standard MSA, DPA, liability caps
• Privacy Compliance: GDPR, CCPA, state privacy law compliance

Chief Risk Officer: Risk Reduction

• “This platform reduces operational, compliance, and technology risk while strengthening your regulatory examination posture.”
• Operational Risk Reduction: Automate compliance controls, reduce manual error risk
• Regulatory Readiness: OCC, FFIEC, GLBA, SOX control coverage

Procurement: Pricing Transparency

• “We offer competitive, transparent pricing with flexible payment terms.”
• Pricing Transparency: Detailed breakdown (platform, professional services, support)
• Payment Flexibility: Multi-year terms, OPEX vs CAPEX options

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Next Steps Checklist

WEEK 1 (Immediate Actions)

With Champion (Maria):

• Map complete buying process
• Qualify CFO budget approval status
• Identify gatekeeper processes (RFP, vendor risk, legal)
• Provide internal selling tools

With Sponsor (Tom):

• Request CISO introduction
• Validate org structure
• Discuss multi-threading strategy

WEEKS 2-3 (Critical Approvers - PARALLEL)

CFO Engagement:

• Schedule CFO business case briefing (30 minutes)
• Prepare ROI calculator
• Qualify approval process: Board approval needed?

CISO Engagement (CRITICAL):

• Schedule CISO technical deep dive (60 minutes)
• Provide SOC 2 Type II, penetration test results
• Offer reference customer calls with similar bank CISOs

General Counsel Engagement (CRITICAL):

• Request Legal introduction from Maria
• Provide standard contract templates, DPA
• Identify contract timeline and non-negotiable terms

Chief Risk Officer Engagement (CRITICAL):

• Schedule CRO risk briefing (30 minutes)
• Position as risk mitigation investment
• Provide vendor risk assessment, BCP

WEEKS 4-5 (Gatekeepers & Influencers)

• Engage VP Procurement: pricing, payment flexibility
• Complete vendor risk questionnaire
• Schedule hands-on POC with IT Security Ops
• Regulatory compliance use case deep dive
• Privacy impact assessment

WEEKS 6-8 (Final Approvals & Contracting)

• Complete contract negotiations
• Finalize pricing, payment terms, SOW, SLAs
• Executive steering committee briefing (if required)
• Board approval (if required)
• Contract execution

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Summary

15 stakeholders identified across 5 functions (Executive, Technology/Security, Risk/Compliance, Legal, Procurement)

4 CRITICAL gaps (CFO, CISO, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer) - ALL must be engaged within 2-3 weeks

Single-threading risk: EXTREME - Only 2 of 15 stakeholders engaged (13% coverage)

Estimated timeline: 8-12 weeks to close IF all critical approvers engaged immediately; 16-20 weeks if gatekeepers engaged late

Next critical action: Qualify CFO budget approval and request CISO introduction within 7 days