Tom Cieslinski on His Career in Financial Controls

Before joining Aspen in April 2025, I was with AIG for just over four years where I served as Head of Financial Controls, leading compliance in adherence with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”). Prior to AIG, I was with AXA XL (formerly XL Catlin), managing their Internal Financial Control program for approximately 14 years.   

As Head of Financial Controls Assurance at Aspen and now that we have listed on the NYSE, I will lead the SOX Program on compliance and work with the business to make certain there are robust Internal Controls over Financial Reporting (ICoFR) and that internal controls are subject to a thorough annual assurance framework.

The ICoFR are not only applicable to the finance function; they are embedded across the organization. This function acts to mitigate the risk of financial misstatement from erroneous initiation, recording, processing and reporting of transactions that have a downstream impact to financial reporting. Therefore, we frequently work with stakeholders across the organization to ensure the ICoFR are designed and operating effectively.   

Across Aspen’s various functions there are certain roles defined that contribute to the SOX Program. The roles include Control Champions, Process Owners, Control Owners and Control Performers. My Financial Controls Assurance Team works collectively with each of these stakeholders, while also coordinating closely with Internal and External Audit throughout the year.

In the world of internal controls, you get to work with various levels of Management, from many different functions across the organization.  So that means interacting frequently with different personalities and points of view. Being successful in Financial Controls Assurance, means being patient, resilient and very flexible. While Financial Controls are top of mind for me, they aren’t always given the same level of priority by others. Being able to recognize that and adjust your approach accordingly is a necessary attribute.   

Additionally, you need to be able to communicate technical requirements properly to identify areas of heightened risk and empower stakeholders to adequately address those risks. However, the ability to work effectively and efficiently with different colleagues across different functions, is a must have skill set.

Prior to joining Aspen, I heard many positive things about the culture. The Company seemed to be very people focused. From what I have seen in my first couple of weeks, everyone is very nice, and willing to help one another and work towards a common goal. I believe culture is critical to attracting and retaining talent and from what I’ve seen, Aspen has been successful in achieving both. 

I’ve been fortunate to have had strong Managers throughout my career who have supported me and helped me to grow in various roles. I’ve looked up to all of them, learning valuable lessons from each of them along the way. While there hasn’t been one relationship specifically, I feel strongly that each of my managers has provided me with a well-rounded view of what a ‘good Manager’ looks like.

One of the main things I’ve learned over the years from those who have led me, is that being a good leader means tailoring your management style based on the employees on your Team, learning from each person and constantly adjusting your interactions along the way.