Do tech and compliance mix? Kimberly Kaminski is the Vice President and Chief Ethics Officer at BAE Systems Inc., a global aerospace and defense contractor, and she’s here on the show today to talk about coming into compliance with a tech background instead of a legal one, what it’s like to work in defense, and the golden nuggets she’s gained along the way.
From tech to compliance
Kimberly started as an electronics technician after receiving her degree. After 3 decades, she had the opportunity to build a compliance program from scratch. Next came the chance to join BAE, and with the great reputation they had, she was excited to come aboard.
Being a tech expert gave Kimberly a good framework for understanding an organization and insight into the requirements to help build products for customers. Being a non-lawyer, she was able to bring a different perspective into the mix, including the different nuggets she’d collected from learning the trade and working with people on the floor.
Women in tech and compliance fields
The legal team at BAE has over 60% women, and they have a female chief diversity officer. Young women entering the workplace are looking upward to seek role models. This is good, but we can do better.
People are at the heart of BAE’s success, so they focus on attracting and keeping diverse talent, and have programs to help employees stay on the cutting edge. A strong industrial base is not just about facilities and products, it’s about people.
What was your leadership experience like both in this community and in the Twin Cities area in promoting ethics and compliance?
Kimberly is part of a few organizations: The Defense Industry Initiative, The Capital Area Business Ethics Network, and the Twin City Compliance and Ethics Network. Sharing best practices is a hallmark of the compliance community. This is an industry that wants to give everyone the best tools to do right and help businesses, regardless of what they do; it’s very easy to reach out to colleagues and ask for help should you have an issue.
Balancing family life and career challenges
Kimberly’s husband passed away 12 years ago, and family and colleagues were instrumental along the way of raising her four boys, now in their early 20s. You can’t do this alone. Form those relationships, keep them intact, take the different nuggets that you get from people along the way, and then help others along the way.
Final thoughts
To any woman considering coming into the compliance field, we welcome you with open arms. It’s the coolest job in the world. One day you could be working with a person on the floor, the next you could be giving a presentation to the board of directors, and the following week you could be in China. It’s a great opportunity, so keep an open mind. Every chance you get, network, network, network! Most importantly, walk through that door and help people along the way.
Resources
Kimberly Kaminski | Defense Industry Initiative | Capital Area Business Ethics Network
