TOM HARDIN

The Inside Story of Tipper X
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“It is one of the biggest mysteries on Wall Street: Who is Tipper X, the secret witness at the center of the biggest insider-trading case in a generation?”

— New York Times, January 12, 2010

The Inside Story of

Tipper X

At age 28, Tom Hardin was a junior partner at an up-and-coming hedge fund. He was on track to achieve his dream career, but before long, felt like he was falling behind in an increasingly competitive industry. Then, a moment arose when he made a decision to cross a very important line and the rest is history. Tom was later charged with felony securities fraud and, known as “Tipper X,” became the FBI’s most productive cooperating witness in Operation Perfect Hedge, a sting setup by the federal government in 2007-2012 targeting the hedge fund industry. The sting branched out into the largest insider trading investigation in 25 years, leading to over 80 guilty pleas or convictions. Since resolving his case in 2015, Tom was invited by FBI-NYC to speak to their rookie agent class in 2016 and now consults and speaks on insider trading, conduct risk, ethics and compliance issues from his former frontline perspective. He holds a B.S. in Economics with a Finance concentration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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The Inside Story of Tipper X

As a well-known keynote speaker, Mr. Hardin has had the privilege of inspiring thousands of professionals on the topics of risk training, compliance and ethics. He has completed over 500 presentations, conduct risk, ethics and compliance training sessions for hedge funds, asset management firms, investment banks, insurance companies, law firms, accounting firms and universities, as well as professional associations including the CFA, CFP, CPA, IIA and ACFE designations.

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Business

“Today I had the pleasure of listening to a first class presentation from Tom Hardin on ethics and decision making. Delivered with real sincerity and humility, it was absolutely superb. I would highly recommend anyone in my network to get in touch with Tom if you’re interested in truly unique insights and effective training.”

Ross Millar

Chief Risk Officer, Artemis Investment Management

Speaker Sheet

University

The Harvard Business School Investment Club had the privilege of hosting Tom this fall. Tom’s story is both fascinating and moving. He is an incredibly engaging and honest speaker. I can think of few guest speakers we have hosted whose message carries more significance. We are grateful to Tom for his time and candor.”

Jeff Berry

Harvard Business School, Class of 2017

Speaker Sheet

Testimonials 

“It was an absolute pleasure having you at [the firm] last week. I think the presentation delivered the exact results we wanted – good conversation around conduct and culture and a new awareness of the risks involved when we’re not focused on these things.”

COO , Global Inter-dealer Broker

“To many who, like me, wish to enter the investment profession, insider trading is a distant reality: I am a good person, I am not a crook, I would never do that. But hearing Tom’s story made me realize that it is not so distant after all, that it starts with the smallest, seemingly harmless decisions, that crossing the line between questionable and illegal is both deceptively easy and incredibly costly. Tom tells a powerful story that every student of business should hear.”

Nichel Gaba , The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2017

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