Practitioner first. Consultant second.
Founder, IRONGATE Risk Partners
Charles McCord isn't a career consultant who spent years in the Big Four. He's a practitioner who's spent 20+ years building, running, and defending security and compliance programs from the inside.
Recently, Charles has led risk assessment and compliance efforts for a global organization. He's dealt with auditors, regulators, and board members on a regular basis. He knows what it takes to build and support programs that actually work — not just building box checking exercises that provide little value.
IRONGATE Risk Partners was founded because of a pattern Charles kept seeing: companies paying for expensive assessments that delivered 100-page reports nobody reads. Consultants who've never actually implemented the frameworks they recommend. Generic advice that ignores the reality of limited budgets and competing priorities.
There's a better way. Clear deliverables. Practical recommendations. Outputs you can actually use. That's what IRONGATE is about.
Charles's career has spanned multiple industries and organization sizes — from startups building their first compliance program to enterprises managing complex multi-framework environments. He's been on both sides of the audit table: as the one being audited and as the one conducting assessments.
Key areas of expertise include:
Charles believes in building security programs that are sustainable — programs that work within real constraints, not theoretical ideals. The best security is the security that actually gets implemented.
Philosophy
We're not just advising from the outside — we implement these frameworks every day. We know what actually works in the real world.
No 100-page reports that gather dust. You get clear, usable outputs: workbooks, roadmaps, policies, and presentations you can use immediately.
Know exactly what you're paying before you commit. No surprise invoices, no endless billable hours, no scope creep.
Clear communication in plain English. Whether you're talking to engineers or the board, you'll understand what's happening and why.
Credentials
Certified Information Systems Auditor — the gold standard for IT audit and assurance professionals.
Deep expertise in the Cybersecurity Framework, from assessment through implementation and continuous improvement.
Extensive experience preparing organizations for SOC 2 Type I and Type II audits across all trust services criteria.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification expertise for defense contractors — Levels 1 through 3.
Information security management system implementation and audit preparation for international certification.
Federal cloud authorization process — from readiness assessment through continuous monitoring.
Have a governance, risk, or compliance challenge? Let's talk about how we can help.