February 20, 2026 – Insider Trading Tom Hardin and Brendan Keegan

Tom Hardin – Founder of Tipper X

The hardest part is just to accept responsibility and own it. And actually, the hardest part also is to forgive yourself. I mean, that’s still what I go through today. Sometimes it’s just sort of that stuff. Sort of that self forgiveness, because we can be, you know, our internal voices of our thought can be, can be pretty, pretty negative at times.

Tom Hardin is the founder of Tipper X and a globally recognized keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and advisor specializing in ethics, compliance, and culture risk. Early in his career, he worked as a financial analyst in New York City, where he became involved in insider trading and later cooperated with federal authorities as an undercover informant in one of the largest insider trading investigations in Wall Street history. Operating under the codename “Tipper X,” his cooperation helped federal investigators build cases against major financial figures and exposed widespread ethical failures within the hedge fund industry. Today, Hardin has transformed his experience into a platform for education and prevention. Through Tipper X, he delivers keynote presentations, compliance training, and advisory services to corporations, financial institutions, and universities around the world. His work focuses on helping organizations understand the psychological and cultural factors that lead to ethical breakdowns, and how to build stronger ethical decision making systems. He is also the author of Wired on Wall Street, which shares his firsthand account of financial misconduct, cooperation with federal authorities, and his personal journey toward accountability and redemption. Brendan Keegan – CEO of Merchants Fleet and Author of The FUD Factor: Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt to Achieve the Impossible – Overcoming Fear

Leaders are not born. They’re made. And the first thing that really has to happen is someone just needs to make a conscious decision that they want to be a leader. Some people come to that decision on their own. Others, somebody sees it in them and taps into their leadership. But leadership has nothing to do with title. It has to do with doing little extra. Picking up the basketballs. Raising your hand before you even know what the project is. Informally, you’re putting yourself into a leadership role, and that’s really powerful.

Brendan Keegan is chairman, CEO and president of the board for Merchants Fleet, the fastest-growing fleet technology company in North America. Brendan is the creator of the bFEARLESS movement. He also is the author of three books, including his newest, The FUD Factor: Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt to Achieve the Impossible. Keegan has contributed more than 200 articles to Fast Company, Inc. Media, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Fox Business and Harvard Business Review. During Keegan’s time at Merchants Fleet, the company has been named a two-time Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Company, Deloitte Best Managed Company and a Fast Company Top 10 Most Innovative Company.  Brendan P. Keegan has spent a lifetime facing down fear, uncertainty and doubt in order to make his visions a reality. And for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been inspired by his revolutionary approach to leadership, he offers an unmatched mix of creativity, generosity, wisdom and tenacious commitment to making a positive impact on the world. An award-winning six-time president and chief executive officer, Brendan is well-known in the business world for his ability to envision outcomes that seem audacious, or even impossible — until he makes them a reality. As the current Chairman, CEO & President of the Board for Merchants Fleet, the fastest-growing fleet technology company in North America, he has created a culture of innovation that empowers employees, partners and investors to transform the industry. Brendan has dedicated himself to cracking his own code and building simple, repeatable systems that anyone can use to live and lead without limits. He shares his insights through regular contributions to Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., Newsweek and other publications, along with his books, blog posts, podcasts and speaking engagements.