Cynthia
Hetherington
CEO Founder
Hetherington Group
Cynthia Hetherington, MLS, MSM, CFE, CII, OSC is the Founder and CEO of Hetherington Group (Hg), a consulting, publishing, managed services, and training firm that leads in due diligence, corporate intelligence, and cyber investigations by keeping pace with the latest security threats and assessments. Throughout her career, she has assisted clients on thousands of cases with internet investigations related to employees, intellectual property, and reputation management.
Drawing upon this depth of experience, she founded the OSINT Academy, a division of Hg, that trains thousands of investigators, security professionals, attorneys, accountants, auditors, military intelligence professionals, and federal, state, and local agencies on best practices annually. Additionally, Ms. Hetherington is an Adjunct Instructor in the College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) at the University of Arizona and was a faculty member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
In addition, Ms. Hetherington has authored several industry-leading reference books on conducting cyber investigations and she is the founder of the OSMOSIS Institute, the governing body of OSMOSIS, an Association for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Professionals. OSMOSIS is the go-to global source for obtaining the collegial support, professional development, and mutually beneficial relationships that OSINT professionals need to succeed.
A mentor to women and other underrepresented populations across the professional digital ecosphere, Ms. Hetherington shares her experiences and expertise as a keynote speaker and contributor at women-focused technology events and conferences across the U.S. Among her memberships are the Women in Security Forum and the Women’s Presidents Organization.
Ms. Hetherington has been acknowledged with numerous awards, most recently being recognized as Women in IT USA’s 2022 Security Leader of the Year and the 2023 Advocate of the Year.
Drawing upon this depth of experience, she founded the OSINT Academy, a division of Hg, that trains thousands of investigators, security professionals, attorneys, accountants, auditors, military intelligence professionals, and federal, state, and local agencies on best practices annually. Additionally, Ms. Hetherington is an Adjunct Instructor in the College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) at the University of Arizona and was a faculty member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
In addition, Ms. Hetherington has authored several industry-leading reference books on conducting cyber investigations and she is the founder of the OSMOSIS Institute, the governing body of OSMOSIS, an Association for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Professionals. OSMOSIS is the go-to global source for obtaining the collegial support, professional development, and mutually beneficial relationships that OSINT professionals need to succeed.
A mentor to women and other underrepresented populations across the professional digital ecosphere, Ms. Hetherington shares her experiences and expertise as a keynote speaker and contributor at women-focused technology events and conferences across the U.S. Among her memberships are the Women in Security Forum and the Women’s Presidents Organization.
Ms. Hetherington has been acknowledged with numerous awards, most recently being recognized as Women in IT USA’s 2022 Security Leader of the Year and the 2023 Advocate of the Year.