Ciaran McGuinness

Ciaran McGuinness is the Chief Risk Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR), where he leads the agency’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Internal Audit functions. In this role, he is responsible for strengthening the Department’s ability to achieve its mission by ensuring that risks affecting the Commonwealth’s DOR are proactively identified, assessed, and managed. He provides independent, risk-based assurance and strategic advisory services to executive leadership and helps drive improvements in governance, internal controls, compliance, and operational performance. Through this work, he supports the protection of one of the Commonwealth’s most critical public functions—revenue collection.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth, he served as Senior Director and Head of Enterprise Risk Management at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In that capacity, he built and led the firm’s global ERM function, overseeing enterprise risk identification, assessment, and mitigation across the organization. His work helped strengthen the firm’s resilience and ensure that risk considerations were embedded in strategic decision-making.

He brings more than three decades of experience in enterprise risk management, governance, and corporate finance. His career spans leadership roles across the first, second, and third lines of defense, including positions in Corporate Treasury and as Head of Internal Assurance and Advisory (Internal Audit). He also served as Chief of Staff to BCG’s Audit and Risk Committee, where he supported board-level oversight of the firm’s risk management and governance practices.

Recognized for his ability to build and mature risk functions, he focuses on integrating risk management into strategy, strengthening organizational resilience, and enabling leaders to make better-informed decisions in complex and rapidly evolving environments.

Ciaran is an alumnus of Columbia University, where he earned a Masters of Enterprise Risk Management (top 5 student), enriching his knowledge and skills in the field. Additionally, he holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from Boston College Carroll School of Management, and an undergraduate degree in Finance & Accounting from University College Dublin, Ireland. These academic credentials not only attest to his deep expertise in finance and risk management but also to his lifelong commitment to learning and professional development.