Brad Burgtorf is the Founding Partner at HighCamp and lives in Livingston, Montana.
Tell us about your career before HighCamp.
It’s a bit of a cliché, but I’ve always prioritized ‘working to live’ rather than ‘living to work’. I started my career at the SEC in 2003, where I gained invaluable experience in the capital markets while also enjoying a work-life balance that let me ski and spend plenty of time in the mountains. Midway through my SEC tenure, I transferred from Chicago to Denver, quickly signed up for a four-day, ten-hour work schedule, and maxed out my telework. Life was good.
I truly enjoyed the people and mission at the SEC, but over time, I started to wonder what life in the private sector might be like—plus, I was growing tired of government bureaucracy. In 2008, during the financial crisis, I joined some former SEC colleagues at ACA Group. At the time, ACA was a small, team-oriented firm with a work-hard, play-hard culture that fit me perfectly. I loved the consulting side of compliance—getting to partner with clients rather than being the “scary” government examiner that could point out problems but couldn’t solve problems. The job exposed me to top investment managers, kept me constantly learning, and introduced me to great colleagues.
By the time I joined ACA, I was living in Summit County, Colorado, where my routine often involved backcountry skiing or climbing before and after work when I wasn’t traveling for clients. I even worked more than 40 hours a week occasionally—but still managed to ski a lot.
Why did you take a sabbatical from work in 2016?
Meeting my wife completely shifted my perspective on life. Up until then, I had fully embraced the bachelor lifestyle—living for weekends and the next big adventure. But when we met in 2014, I started thinking beyond just the next adventure. I began imagining life 5, 10, even 20 years down the road—not just as an individual, but as a husband and, eventually, a father. That’s when things really got fun (and a little crazy).
Instead of just planning a wedding, we decided to take a year-long honeymoon. That meant selling our house, putting everything in storage, and making arrangements to be out of the country for 12 months. We viewed it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel and enjoy new experiences together before starting a family. It was one of the best decisions of my life and reshaped so many perspectives.
Why did you start HighCamp?
Originally, I had planned to return to ACA Group, but when I pitched the idea of a year-long sabbatical, they weren’t exactly thrilled. That was a turning point—I realized that if I wanted a career that met my high standards, aligned with my professional goals, and fit my lifestyle, I’d have to build it myself.
As I thought more about the fragmented GRC market, it became clear that there was a major gap—and with that, an opportunity. I saw a need for a consultancy that could attract top-tier talent while delivering truly exceptional service to investment managers who deserved a higher level of expertise and partnership. HighCamp was born out of that vision: to create a firm that offers both an outstanding team environment and a best-in-class client experience.
Where did the name HighCamp come from?
Naming a company is surprisingly hard. At first, we cycled through a lot of generic nature-inspired names—trees, rocks, rivers—you name it. We also considered straightforward, descriptive names like Investment Adviser Consultants. But ultimately, we’ve always set out to do things differently, so I’m really glad we took the time to find something unique.
HighCamp comes from mountaineering—it’s a camp set up to mitigate risk on the way to and from a summit. As a risk and service company, with a team that loves outdoor adventures, the name felt like the perfect fit.
What do you enjoy about running HighCamp?
The most rewarding part of running HighCamp is building a team and a brand that truly adds value in the compliance space. From the start, I wanted to create a firm where talented professionals could do meaningful work while having the flexibility to enjoy life outside of the job. Seeing that vision come to life—watching our team collaborate, develop, and genuinely support each other—has been incredibly fulfilling.
Beyond the team, I love the opportunity to shape HighCamp into the most trusted name in compliance consulting space for our target private fund clientele. We’re not just checking boxes; we’re building something that stands for quality, practical solutions, and true partnership with our clients. Knowing that we’re making a real impact—helping investment managers navigate complexity and operate with confidence—makes all the hard work worth it.
What do you appreciate most about your clients?
The best part of working with our clients is the relationships we build. Compliance sometimes gets a bad rap, but the clients we work with understand that strong compliance isn’t just about avoiding risk—it’s a strategic advantage that helps them scale and operate with confidence. I love that we get to partner with smart, thoughtful people who care about doing things the right way.
It’s incredibly rewarding to help our clients navigate challenges, streamline processes, and, in many cases, grow alongside them over the years. What makes it even better is working with clients who truly value our expertise and trust us as objective advisors—not just service providers. We also learn a lot from our clients; their innovation, leadership, and diverse perspectives push us to be better consultants. That mutual respect and shared commitment to excellence is what makes this work so fulfilling.
