Katie Rose DeLeon
Katie Rose-DeLeon is a seasoned fintech compliance executive and Chief Compliance Officer with more than two decades of experience across financial services, payments, and global technology organizations. Currently serving in a senior leadership role at Blackhawk Network, she specializes in building and scaling enterprise-wide compliance programs, with deep expertise in financial crimes, regulatory compliance, and risk governance across global markets including APAC, LATAM, and EMEA. Known for her ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, business-aligned solutions, she plays a critical role in enabling innovation while maintaining strong compliance frameworks.
Her career began in financial services, where early exposure to project management led her into the world of compliance and anti-money laundering. She went on to build and scale compliance programs at major organizations including Amazon and Stripe, where she established global shared services and enterprise risk frameworks. As Chief Compliance Officer at Tango, she designed and implemented a compliance program from the ground up, later transitioning into her current role where she leads product compliance efforts and partners closely with business and product teams to integrate compliance seamlessly into innovation and customer experience.
Katie is widely recognized for her leadership style, which emphasizes collaboration, mentorship, and the development of strong, influence-driven teams. She is passionate about positioning compliance as a strategic business enabler rather than a barrier, helping organizations move faster while staying aligned with regulatory expectations. A Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), she combines technical expertise with a people-first approach, focusing on coaching teams to communicate effectively, leverage data, and build lasting partnerships across the business.
• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
• The University of Texas at Austin- B.S.
• ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists)
• Local Food Bank Volunteer
• City Park Environmental Cleanup Organizer
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to three main influences in my life. First, I learned a lot from my mom, who was the first one in our line of ancestry that actually worked. She showed me the importance of independence, and she was extremely successful in moving up in her career, so she was definitely somebody I always looked up to in that regard. Second, my mentors have been instrumental - and honestly, they've all been female. The female influence and the female leaders have taught me that it's not necessarily that you can have it all, but you can make of it what you need, and that's definitely helped influence my decisions throughout my career. Third, I've maintained ongoing mentorships where I serve both as a mentee and a mentor. I learn from people who are more tenured in the company and industry, using their wisdom for advice along the way. And I still learn from people I mentor today - they're coming in new with different perspectives from a different generation, which reminds me not to assume things are always the way I view them. That has absolutely helped me as well.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received, both from my mentor and through my own spiritual practice, is that we spend most of our days working to make a living, and we can't always do what we would consider as our passion. So it's important to be able to make sure you find elements of your job that do bring you joy. Otherwise, it doesn't make for the best experience, and it's important to prioritize yourself, even within that constraint of work-life balance. I always make sure that there has to be something I'm excited about at my job, and if I start to notice there's nothing there, then I either try to create it - I'm in a position now where I can - but when I was younger in my career, I would have to ask for it, or I would have to move on. While that's hard, it was important to me that I wasn't just slogging through my days. With the acquisition at Blackhawk, there was already a CCO who was well-loved, so I had to accept that I wasn't going to be held at that position. So I pushed for something I wanted to do, which was developing the product compliance team. Blackhawk didn't have it before, and they liked my idea, so I created it, and I definitely find a lot of joy in that. I've also gotten a lot better with my work-life balance, and I always make sure there's time for either kids' school activities or even just getting away for an hour during the day to do yoga or something like that.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Use mentorship, shape your career to suit your needs, and focus on finding meaningful elements in your work rather than assuming a single path.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Combatting increasingly sophisticated financial crime (including AI-enabled threats), building scalable global compliance programs, and transforming compliance into a market-facing enabler through product compliance and innovation.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my personal life, I'm very involved in my kids' sports. My daughter is into soccer and plays for a travel team, and I coach when I can. My son is really into baseball, and while I'm not a coach, I like to be part of the team planning and organization. While they're still around, I like to be involved as much as I can in their lives, and if that's what they've chosen, I'll choose it too. Beyond my kids, I love hiking, and I'm trying to learn guitar and the ukulele because I love music. I don't think I will ever create my own music, but I love to try to play other people's music - it's fun and relaxing. I've also gotten a lot better with my work-life balance, and I always make sure there's time for either kids' school activities or even just getting away for an hour during the day to do yoga. In my work, I value being able to find personal meaning and investment in my job outside of just a paycheck - feeling like I'm making a difference. I also value the people management aspect of my job and the relationships I've been able to develop, which make the day fun.