diff --git a/.github/DEVELOPER.md b/.github/DEVELOPER.md
index b7e8e65..549de67 100644
--- a/.github/DEVELOPER.md
+++ b/.github/DEVELOPER.md
@@ -8,15 +8,33 @@
 * kubebuilder
 
 ### Quickstart
-```
-$ git clone https://github.com/keikoproj/iam-manager
-$ cd iam-manager
-$ go mod
-$ go vendor
-```
 
+First, go and fork the Github repo to your own personal project. Once that's
+done, set up a local build environment off of the original Github repo. Then we
+add in your fork'ed repo as a new target for doing git pushes.
+
+    $ go clean -modcache
+    $ go get -v github.com/keikoproj/iam-manager
+    $ cd "$(go env GOPATH)/src/github.com/keikoproj/iam-manager"
+    $ make test
+    $ go mod vendor
+    $ git remote add myfork <your fork>
+
+### Install Kubebuilder
+
+Kubebuilder is a requirement for the testsuite.. you can install it quickly
+on your own or with our make target:
+
+    $ make kubebuilder
 
 ### Build project
-```
-$ make
-```
\ No newline at end of file
+
+    $ make
+
+### Running Tests
+
+There are several environment variables that must be set in order for the
+test suite to work. The [Makefile](/Makefile) sets these for you, so please
+use the `make test` target to run tests:
+
+    $ make test
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 1f7c263..43704e1 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
 vendor/
 mocks/
 gomock*/
+kubebuilder*
 
 #IDE files
 .idea/
-bin/
\ No newline at end of file
+bin/
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 3a5f992..ce4ece2 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@ before_install: skip
 
 install:
   # install kube builder so BDD test cases can work
-  - wget https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/releases/download/v2.2.0/kubebuilder_2.2.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
-  - tar -zxvf  kubebuilder_2.2.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
-  - sudo mv kubebuilder_2.2.0_linux_amd64 /usr/local/kubebuilder
+  - make kubebuilder
 
 jobs:
   include:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index db148cc..cf6c250 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,30 +1,43 @@
-
 # Image URL to use all building/pushing image targets
-IMG ?= keikoproj/iam-manager:latest
+IMG         ?= keikoproj/iam-manager:latest
+
+# Tools required to run the full suite of tests properly
+OSNAME           ?= $(shell uname -s | tr A-Z a-z)
+KUBEBUILDER_VER  ?= 2.2.0
+KUBEBUILDER_ARCH ?= amd64
+
 # Produce CRDs that work back to Kubernetes 1.11 (no version conversion)
 CRD_OPTIONS ?= "crd:trivialVersions=true"
 
+KUBECONFIG                  ?= $(HOME)/.kube/config
+LOCAL                       ?= true
+ALLOWED_POLICY_ACTION       ?= s3:,sts:,ec2:Describe,acm:Describe,acm:List,acm:Get,route53:Get,route53:List,route53:Create,route53:Delete,route53:Change,kms:Decrypt,kms:Encrypt,kms:ReEncrypt,kms:GenerateDataKey,kms:DescribeKey,dynamodb:,secretsmanager:GetSecretValue,es:,sqs:SendMessage,sqs:ReceiveMessage,sqs:DeleteMessage,SNS:Publish,sqs:GetQueueAttributes,sqs:GetQueueUrl
+RESTRICTED_POLICY_RESOURCES ?= policy-resource
+RESTRICTED_S3_RESOURCES     ?= s3-resource
+AWS_ACCOUNT_ID              ?= 123456789012
+AWS_REGION                  ?= us-west-2
+MANAGED_POLICIES            ?= arn:aws:iam::123456789012:policy/SOMETHING
+MANAGED_PERMISSION_BOUNDARY_POLICY ?= arn:aws:iam::1123456789012:role/iam-manager-permission-boundary
+CLUSTER_NAME                ?= k8s_test_keiko
+CLUSTER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL     ?= https://google.com/OIDC
+DEFAULT_TRUST_POLICY        ?= '{"Version": "2012-10-17", "Statement": [{"Effect": "Allow","Principal": {"Federated": "arn:aws:iam::AWS_ACCOUNT_ID:oidc-provider/OIDC_PROVIDER"},"Action": "sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity","Condition": {"StringEquals": {"OIDC_PROVIDER:sub": "system:serviceaccount:{{.NamespaceName}}:SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME"}}}, {"Effect": "Allow","Principal": {"AWS": ["arn:aws:iam::{{.AccountID}}:role/trust_role"]},"Action": "sts:AssumeRole"}]}'
+
 # Get the currently used golang install path (in GOPATH/bin, unless GOBIN is set)
 ifeq (,$(shell go env GOBIN))
-GOBIN=$(shell go env GOPATH)/bin
+	GOBIN := $(shell go env GOPATH)/bin
 else
-GOBIN=$(shell go env GOBIN)
+	GOBIN := $(shell go env GOBIN)
 endif
 
 all: manager
 
-setup: ; $(info $(M) setting up env variables for test…) @ ## Setup env variables
-export LOCAL=true
-export ALLOWED_POLICY_ACTION=s3:,sts:,ec2:Describe,acm:Describe,acm:List,acm:Get,route53:Get,route53:List,route53:Create,route53:Delete,route53:Change,kms:Decrypt,kms:Encrypt,kms:ReEncrypt,kms:GenerateDataKey,kms:DescribeKey,dynamodb:,secretsmanager:GetSecretValue,es:,sqs:SendMessage,sqs:ReceiveMessage,sqs:DeleteMessage,SNS:Publish,sqs:GetQueueAttributes,sqs:GetQueueUrl
-export RESTRICTED_POLICY_RESOURCES=policy-resource
-export RESTRICTED_S3_RESOURCES=s3-resource
-export AWS_ACCOUNT_ID=123456789012
-export AWS_REGION=us-west-2
-export MANAGED_POLICIES=arn:aws:iam::123456789012:policy/SOMETHING
-export MANAGED_PERMISSION_BOUNDARY_POLICY=arn:aws:iam::1123456789012:role/iam-manager-permission-boundary
-export CLUSTER_NAME=k8s_test_keiko
-export CLUSTER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL=https://google.com/OIDC
-export DEFAULT_TRUST_POLICY={"Version": "2012-10-17", "Statement": [{"Effect": "Allow","Principal": {"Federated": "arn:aws:iam::AWS_ACCOUNT_ID:oidc-provider/OIDC_PROVIDER"},"Action": "sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity","Condition": {"StringEquals": {"OIDC_PROVIDER:sub": "system:serviceaccount:{{.NamespaceName}}:SERVICE_ACCOUNT_NAME"}}}, {"Effect": "Allow","Principal": {"AWS": ["arn:aws:iam::{{.AccountID}}:role/trust_role"]},"Action": "sts:AssumeRole"}]}
+.PHONY: kubebuilder
+kubebuilder:
+	@echo "Downloading and installing Kubebuilder - this requires sudo privileges"
+	curl -fsSL -O "https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kubebuilder/releases/download/v$(KUBEBUILDER_VER)/kubebuilder_$(KUBEBUILDER_VER)_$(OSNAME)_$(KUBEBUILDER_ARCH).tar.gz"
+	rm -rf kubebuilder && mkdir -p kubebuilder
+	tar -zxvf kubebuilder_$(KUBEBUILDER_VER)_$(OSNAME)_$(KUBEBUILDER_ARCH).tar.gz --strip-components 1 -C kubebuilder
+	sudo cp -rf kubebuilder /usr/local
 
 mock:
 	go get -u github.com/golang/mock/mockgen
@@ -34,7 +47,19 @@ mock:
 	done
 
 # Run tests
-test: setup mock generate fmt manifests
+test: mock generate fmt manifests
+	KUBECONFIG=$(KUBECONFIG) \
+	LOCAL=$(LOCAL) \
+	ALLOWED_POLICY_ACTION=$(ALLOWED_POLICY_ACTION) \
+	RESTRICTED_POLICY_RESOURCES=$(RESTRICTED_POLICY_RESOURCES) \
+	RESTRICTED_S3_RESOURCES=$(RESTRICTED_S3_RESOURCES) \
+	AWS_ACCOUNT_ID=$(AWS_ACCOUNT_ID) \
+	AWS_REGION=$(AWS_REGION) \
+	MANAGED_POLICIES=$(MANAGED_POLICIES) \
+	MANAGED_PERMISSION_BOUNDARY_POLICY=$(MANAGED_PERMISSION_BOUNDARY_POLICY) \
+	CLUSTER_NAME=$(CLUSTER_NAME) \
+	CLUSTER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL="$(CLUSTER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL)" \
+	DEFAULT_TRUST_POLICY=$(DEFAULT_TRUST_POLICY) \
 	go test ./... -coverprofile cover.out
 
 # Build manager binary
diff --git a/controllers/iamrole_controller.go b/controllers/iamrole_controller.go
index e37a793..7729b70 100644
--- a/controllers/iamrole_controller.go
+++ b/controllers/iamrole_controller.go
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ func (r *IamroleReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
 	log := log.Logger(ctx, "controllers", "iamrole_controller", "Reconcile")
 	log.WithValues("iamrole", req.NamespacedName)
 	log.Info("Start of the request")
+
 	//Get the resource
 	var iamRole iammanagerv1alpha1.Iamrole
 
@@ -80,13 +81,20 @@ func (r *IamroleReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
 		return ctrl.Result{}, ignoreNotFound(err)
 	}
 
-	roleName := fmt.Sprintf("k8s-%s", iamRole.ObjectMeta.Name)
-
-	if config.Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace() && config.Props.MaxRolesAllowed() == 1 {
-		roleName = fmt.Sprintf("k8s-%s", iamRole.ObjectMeta.Namespace)
+	// TODO: Remove the need to do this here.
+	//
+	// We are generating the roleName here for the potential call to the
+	// delete function. The right way to do this is to record the created
+	// IAM role ARN in the IamRole object itself, so that we can then
+	// guarantee the delete even if the operator has changed their
+	// iam.role.pattern setting.
+	roleName, err := utils.GenerateRoleName(ctx, iamRole, *config.Props)
+	if err != nil {
+		r.Recorder.Event(&iamRole, v1.EventTypeWarning, string(iammanagerv1alpha1.Error), "Unable to construct iam role name to error "+err.Error())
+		return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: 30 * time.Second}, nil
 	}
 
-	// Isit being deleted?
+	// Is it being deleted?
 	if iamRole.ObjectMeta.DeletionTimestamp.IsZero() {
 		//Good. This is not Delete use case
 		//Lets check if this is very first time use case
@@ -132,12 +140,15 @@ func (r *IamroleReconciler) HandleReconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Reques
 	log = log.WithValues("iam_role_cr", iamRole.Name)
 	log.Info("state of the custom resource ", "state", iamRole.Status.State)
 
-	roleName := fmt.Sprintf("k8s-%s", iamRole.ObjectMeta.Name)
+	roleName, err := utils.GenerateRoleName(ctx, *iamRole, *config.Props)
 
-	if config.Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace() && config.Props.MaxRolesAllowed() == 1 {
-		roleName = fmt.Sprintf("k8s-%s", iamRole.ObjectMeta.Namespace)
-	}
 	log.V(1).Info("roleName constructed successfully", "roleName", roleName)
+	if err != nil {
+		r.Recorder.Event(iamRole, v1.EventTypeWarning, string(iammanagerv1alpha1.Error), "Unable to construct iam role name to error "+err.Error())
+		// It is not clear to me that we want to requeue here - as this is a fairly permanent
+		// error. Is there a better pattern here?
+		return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: 30 * time.Second}, nil
+	}
 
 	input, status, err := r.ConstructCreateIAMRoleInput(ctx, iamRole, roleName)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/controllers/iamrole_controller_test.go b/controllers/iamrole_controller_test.go
index 462c10d..5744841 100644
--- a/controllers/iamrole_controller_test.go
+++ b/controllers/iamrole_controller_test.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("IamroleController", func() {
-
 	Describe("When checking a StatusUpdatePredicate", func() {
 		instance := StatusUpdatePredicate{}
 
diff --git a/docs/Configmap_Properties.md b/docs/Configmap_Properties.md
index d1c79be..3ced973 100644
--- a/docs/Configmap_Properties.md
+++ b/docs/Configmap_Properties.md
@@ -8,12 +8,48 @@ This document explains configmap variables.
 | aws.accountId                     | AWS account ID where IAM roles are created|        |Optional            |
 | iam.managed.policies              | User managed IAM policies     |                    |Optional            |
 | iam.managed.permission.boundary.policy| User managed permission boundary policy|k8s-iam-manager-cluster-permission-boundary       |Required            |
-| webhook.enabled                   |  Enable webhook?              | false              | Required           |
-| iam.role.max.limit.per.namespace      | Maximum number of roles per namespace |   1        | Required |
-| aws.region                        | AWS Region                    | us-west-2          | Required |
-| iam.default.trust.policy| Default trust policy role. This must follow v1alpha1.AssumeRolePolicyDocument syntax|           | Optional |
-| iam.role.derive.from.namespace    | Derive iam role name from namespace? if true it will be k8s-<namespace> | false | Optional|
+| webhook.enabled                   |  Enable webhook?              | `false             | Required           |
+| iam.role.max.limit.per.namespace  | Maximum number of roles per namespace |   1        | Required |
+| aws.region                        | AWS Region                    | `us-west-2`        | Required |
+| iam.default.trust.policy          | Default trust policy role. This must follow v1alpha1.AssumeRolePolicyDocument syntax|           | Optional |
+| [iam.role.pattern](#iamrolepattern) | See docs below...           | `k8s-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}` | Optional           |
 | controller.desired.frequency      | Controller frequency to check the state of the world (in seconds) | 300  | Optional |
 | k8s.cluster.name                  | Name of the cluster           |                    | Optional | 
 | k8s.cluster.oidc.issuer.url       | OIDC issuer of the cluster    |                    | Optional |
-| iam.irsa.enabled                  | Enable IRSA option?           | false              | Optional |
\ No newline at end of file
+| iam.irsa.enabled                  | Enable IRSA option?           | `false`            | Optional |
+
+
+## `iam.role.pattern`
+
+[template]: https://golang.org/pkg/text/template/
+[iamrole]: /api/v1alpha1/iamrole_types.go
+
+_Default_: `k8s-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}`
+
+All IAM roles created by the controller will use this [GoLang template][template]
+to generate the final IAM Role Name. The default setting works fine if you have
+a single cluster - but if you want to operate multiple clusters in the same AWS
+account you will need to make sure the controllers do not conflict.
+
+The [`Iamrole`][iamrole] object is passed into the Go templating engine, enabling
+you to use any object field found in that role. For example 
+`mycluster-{{ .ObjectMeta.Namespace }}-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}`.
+
+All IAM roles created and managed by the controller will use this prefix. This
+helps organize IAM roles within your AWS Account, and can be used to ensure
+uniqueness between different EKS Clusters within the same AWS account.
+
+**Critical Note: Read [this](#note-about-changing-iamroleprefix-and-iamroleseparator)
+before changing this setting**
+
+**Note: Changes to your IAM Policy may be required if you customize this**
+
+## Note about changing `iam.role.pattern`
+
+If you have existing `IAMRole` resources in your cluster, and you make a change to
+the `iam.role.pattern` setting - the controller will reconcile the situation by
+creating NEW IAM roles. It will _not_ however clean up the old roles - thus you
+will have left over unused IAM roles in your account.
+
+Get these settings right from the beginning, or be prepared to clean up the left
+over roles.
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index df07710..6f7c64e 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ require (
 	github.com/onsi/gomega v1.8.1
 	github.com/pborman/uuid v1.2.0
 	github.com/pkg/errors v0.8.1
-	golang.org/x/mod v0.4.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20201221201019-196535612888 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/mod v0.4.1 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210124154548-22da62e12c0c // indirect
+	golang.org/x/tools v0.1.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20190902080502-41f04d3bba15
 	k8s.io/api v0.17.2
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.17.2
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 2fb2880..ec4b678 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -333,10 +333,11 @@ golang.org/x/mod v0.3.0 h1:RM4zey1++hCTbCVQfnWeKs9/IEsaBLA8vTkd0WVtmH4=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.3.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.4.0 h1:8pl+sMODzuvGJkmj2W4kZihvVb5mKm8pB/X44PIQHv8=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.4.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.4.1 h1:Kvvh58BN8Y9/lBi7hTekvtMpm07eUZ0ck5pRHpsMWrY=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.4.1/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20170114055629-f2499483f923/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180724234803-3673e40ba225/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180826012351-8a410e7b638d/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180906233101-161cd47e91fd h1:nTDtHvHSdCn1m6ITfMRqtOd/9+7a3s8RBNOZ3eYZzJA=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180906233101-161cd47e91fd/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20181005035420-146acd28ed58/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20181114220301-adae6a3d119a/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
@@ -351,11 +352,8 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190620200207-3b0461eec859/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLL
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190813141303-74dc4d7220e7/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190827160401-ba9fcec4b297/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20191004110552-13f9640d40b9/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200226121028-0de0cce0169b h1:0mm1VjtFUOIlE1SbDlwjYaDxZVDP2S5ou6y0gSgXHu8=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200226121028-0de0cce0169b/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20201021035429-f5854403a974 h1:IX6qOQeG5uLjB/hjjwjedwfjND0hgjPMMyO1RoIXQNI=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20201021035429-f5854403a974/go.mod h1:sp8m0HH+o8qH0wwXwYZr8TS3Oi6o0r6Gce1SSxlDquU=
-golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be h1:vEDujvNQGv4jgYKudGeI/+DAX4Jffq6hpD55MmoEvKs=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190226205417-e64efc72b421/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190604053449-0f29369cfe45 h1:SVwTIAaPC2U/AvvLNZ2a7OVsmBpC8L5BlwK1whH3hm0=
@@ -365,12 +363,10 @@ golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181108010431-42b317875d0f/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJ
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181221193216-37e7f081c4d4/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190227155943-e225da77a7e6/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190423024810-112230192c58/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190911185100-cd5d95a43a6e/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20201020160332-67f06af15bc9/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20170830134202-bb24a47a89ea/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180830151530-49385e6e1522/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180905080454-ebe1bf3edb33/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180909124046-d0be0721c37e h1:o3PsSEY8E4eXWkXrIP9YJALUkVZqzHJT5DOasTyn8Vs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180909124046-d0be0721c37e/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20181107165924-66b7b1311ac8/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20181116152217-5ac8a444bdc5/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
@@ -380,25 +376,23 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5h
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190312061237-fead79001313/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190321052220-f7bb7a8bee54/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190412213103-97732733099d/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190422165155-953cdadca894 h1:Cz4ceDQGXuKRnVBDTS23GTn/pU5OE2C0WrNTOYK1Uuc=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190422165155-953cdadca894/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190616124812-15dcb6c0061f/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190826190057-c7b8b68b1456 h1:ng0gs1AKnRRuEMZoTLLlbOd+C17zUDepwGQBb/n+JVg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190826190057-c7b8b68b1456/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190922100055-0a153f010e69 h1:rOhMmluY6kLMhdnrivzec6lLgaVbMHMn2ISQXJeJ5EM=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190922100055-0a153f010e69/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200930185726-fdedc70b468f h1:+Nyd8tzPX9R7BWHguqsrbFdRx3WQ/1ib8I44HXV5yTA=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200930185726-fdedc70b468f/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210119212857-b64e53b001e4 h1:myAQVi0cGEoqQVR5POX+8RR2mrocKqNN1hmeMqhX27k=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210119212857-b64e53b001e4/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210124154548-22da62e12c0c h1:VwygUrnw9jn88c4u8GD3rZQbqrP/tgas88tPUbBxQrk=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210124154548-22da62e12c0c/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/text v0.0.0-20160726164857-2910a502d2bf/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.0.0-20170915032832-14c0d48ead0c/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
-golang.org/x/text v0.3.0 h1:g61tztE5qeGQ89tm6NTjjM9VPIm088od1l6aSorWRWg=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.0/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.1-0.20180807135948-17ff2d5776d2/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
-golang.org/x/text v0.3.2 h1:tW2bmiBqwgJj/UpqtC8EpXEZVYOwU0yG4iWbprSVAcs=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.2/go.mod h1:bEr9sfX3Q8Zfm5fL9x+3itogRgK3+ptLWKqgva+5dAk=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.3 h1:cokOdA+Jmi5PJGXLlLllQSgYigAEfHXJAERHVMaCc2k=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.3/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ=
-golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20180412165947-fbb02b2291d2 h1:+DCIGbF/swA92ohVg0//6X2IVY3KZs6p9mix0ziNYJM=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20180412165947-fbb02b2291d2/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20181108054448-85acf8d2951c/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20190308202827-9d24e82272b4 h1:SvFZT6jyqRaOeXpc5h/JSfZenJ2O330aBsf7JfSUXmQ=
@@ -414,38 +408,18 @@ golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190226205152-f727befe758c/go.mod h1:9Yl7xja0Znq3iFh3
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190311212946-11955173bddd/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190312151545-0bb0c0a6e846/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190312170243-e65039ee4138/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190425150028-36563e24a262 h1:qsl9y/CJx34tuA7QCPNp86JNJe4spst6Ff8MjvPUdPg=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190425150028-36563e24a262/go.mod h1:RgjU9mgBXZiqYHBnxXauZ1Gv1EHHAz9KjViQ78xBX0Q=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190524140312-2c0ae7006135/go.mod h1:RgjU9mgBXZiqYHBnxXauZ1Gv1EHHAz9KjViQ78xBX0Q=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190614205625-5aca471b1d59/go.mod h1:/rFqwRUd4F7ZHNgwSSTFct+R/Kf4OFW1sUzUTQQTgfc=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190617190820-da514acc4774/go.mod h1:/rFqwRUd4F7ZHNgwSSTFct+R/Kf4OFW1sUzUTQQTgfc=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190920225731-5eefd052ad72 h1:bw9doJza/SFBEweII/rHQh338oozWyiFsBRHtrflcws=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190920225731-5eefd052ad72/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20191119224855-298f0cb1881e/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428140416-006b16f6cf7f h1:S58tgFwC/PUuXkZBbUfGloERWUkLz9WBY3HFy9BMLaM=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428140416-006b16f6cf7f/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428204708-317da45f2f19 h1:uU2/31wMz41c/26KcY61Rq5vekiLPBGBXGackzSt4tM=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428204708-317da45f2f19/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428211428-0c9eba77bc32 h1:Xvf3ZQTm5bjXPxhI7g+dwqsCqadK1rcNtwtszuatetk=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200428211428-0c9eba77bc32/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200522201501-cb1345f3a375 h1:SjQ2+AKWgZLc1xej6WSzL+Dfs5Uyd5xcZH1mGC411IA=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200522201501-cb1345f3a375/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200526224456-8b020aee10d2 h1:21BqcH/onxtGHn1A2GDOJjZnbt4Nlez629S3eaR+eYs=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200526224456-8b020aee10d2/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200529172331-a64b76657301 h1:G6CNEgFU8/XwexSnuFw+Jq/WePjRitgy6ofBcPnAIPo=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200529172331-a64b76657301/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200530233709-52effbd89c51 h1:Wec8/IO8hAraBf0it7/dPQYOslIrgM938wZYNkLnOYc=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200530233709-52effbd89c51/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200606014950-c42cb6316fb6 h1:5Y8c5HBW6hBYnGEE3AbJPV0R8RsQmg1/eaJrpvasns0=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200606014950-c42cb6316fb6/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200609164405-eb789aa7ce50 h1:59syOWj4+Fl+op4LL8fX1kO7HmbdEWfxlw4tcGvH+y0=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200609164405-eb789aa7ce50/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20201221201019-196535612888 h1:7caG9TJP3w/Lk3qVEGny32sb4gFJxPq0nVCYCHGi5Gw=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20201221201019-196535612888/go.mod h1:emZCQorbCU4vsT4fOWvOPXz4eW1wZW4PmDk9uLelYpA=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20210119195117-a46736d9d962 h1:2W5DpBYpoX3ZovvDTg1qC2gXJEa0dXKkZVxUr3xiQdY=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20210119195117-a46736d9d962/go.mod h1:emZCQorbCU4vsT4fOWvOPXz4eW1wZW4PmDk9uLelYpA=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.1.0 h1:po9/4sTYwZU9lPhi1tOrb4hCv3qrhiQ77LZfGa2OjwY=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.1.0/go.mod h1:xkSsbof2nBLbhDlRMhhhyNLN/zl3eTqcnHD5viDpcZ0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20190717185122-a985d3407aa7/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191011141410-1b5146add898/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
-golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191204190536-9bdfabe68543 h1:E7g+9GITq07hpfrRu66IVDexMakfv52eLZ2CXBWiKr4=
-golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191204190536-9bdfabe68543/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20200804184101-5ec99f83aff1 h1:go1bK/D/BFZV2I8cIQd1NKEZ+0owSTG1fDTci4IqFcE=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20200804184101-5ec99f83aff1/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 gomodules.xyz/jsonpatch/v2 v2.0.1 h1:xyiBuvkD2g5n7cYzx6u2sxQvsAy4QJsZFCzGVdzOXZ0=
@@ -454,10 +428,8 @@ gonum.org/v1/gonum v0.0.0-20190331200053-3d26580ed485/go.mod h1:2ltnJ7xHfj0zHS40
 gonum.org/v1/netlib v0.0.0-20190313105609-8cb42192e0e0/go.mod h1:wa6Ws7BG/ESfp6dHfk7C6KdzKA7wR7u/rKwOGE66zvw=
 gonum.org/v1/netlib v0.0.0-20190331212654-76723241ea4e/go.mod h1:kS+toOQn6AQKjmKJ7gzohV1XkqsFehRA2FbsbkopSuQ=
 google.golang.org/api v0.4.0/go.mod h1:8k5glujaEP+g9n7WNsDg8QP6cUVNI86fCNMcbazEtwE=
-google.golang.org/appengine v1.1.0 h1:igQkv0AAhEIvTEpD5LIpAfav2eeVO9HBTjvKHVJPRSs=
 google.golang.org/appengine v1.1.0/go.mod h1:EbEs0AVv82hx2wNQdGPgUI5lhzA/G0D9YwlJXL52JkM=
 google.golang.org/appengine v1.4.0/go.mod h1:xpcJRLb0r/rnEns0DIKYYv+WjYCduHsrkT7/EB5XEv4=
-google.golang.org/appengine v1.5.0 h1:KxkO13IPW4Lslp2bz+KHP2E3gtFlrIGNThxkZQ3g+4c=
 google.golang.org/appengine v1.5.0/go.mod h1:xpcJRLb0r/rnEns0DIKYYv+WjYCduHsrkT7/EB5XEv4=
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20180817151627-c66870c02cf8/go.mod h1:JiN7NxoALGmiZfu7CAH4rXhgtRTLTxftemlI0sWmxmc=
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20190307195333-5fe7a883aa19/go.mod h1:VzzqZJRnGkLBvHegQrXjBqPurQTc5/KpmUdxsrq26oE=
@@ -467,7 +439,6 @@ google.golang.org/grpc v1.19.0/go.mod h1:mqu4LbDTu4XGKhr4mRzUsmM4RtVoemTSY81AxZi
 google.golang.org/grpc v1.23.1/go.mod h1:Y5yQAOtifL1yxbo5wqy6BxZv8vAUGQwXBOALyacEbxg=
 gopkg.in/alecthomas/kingpin.v2 v2.2.6/go.mod h1:FMv+mEhP44yOT+4EoQTLFTRgOQ1FBLkstjWtayDeSgw=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
-gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20180628173108-788fd7840127 h1:qIbj1fsPNlZgppZ+VLlY7N33q108Sa+fhmuc+sWQYwY=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20180628173108-788fd7840127/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20190902080502-41f04d3bba15 h1:YR8cESwS4TdDjEe65xsg0ogRM/Nc3DYOhEAlW+xobZo=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20190902080502-41f04d3bba15/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
@@ -483,9 +454,7 @@ gopkg.in/tomb.v1 v1.0.0-20141024135613-dd632973f1e7 h1:uRGJdciOHaEIrze2W8Q3AKkep
 gopkg.in/tomb.v1 v1.0.0-20141024135613-dd632973f1e7/go.mod h1:dt/ZhP58zS4L8KSrWDmTeBkI65Dw0HsyUHuEVlX15mw=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.0.0-20170812160011-eb3733d160e7/go.mod h1:JAlM8MvJe8wmxCU4Bli9HhUf9+ttbYbLASfIpnQbh74=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.1/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
-gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2 h1:ZCJp+EgiOT7lHqUV2J862kp8Qj64Jo6az82+3Td9dZw=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
-gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.4 h1:/eiJrUcujPVeJ3xlSWaiNi3uSVmDGBK1pDHUHAnao1I=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.4/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.7 h1:VUgggvou5XRW9mHwD/yXxIYSMtY0zoKQf/v226p2nyo=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.7/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
@@ -507,7 +476,6 @@ k8s.io/component-base v0.17.2/go.mod h1:zMPW3g5aH7cHJpKYQ/ZsGMcgbsA/VyhEugF3QT1a
 k8s.io/gengo v0.0.0-20190128074634-0689ccc1d7d6/go.mod h1:ezvh/TsK7cY6rbqRK0oQQ8IAqLxYwwyPxAX1Pzy0ii0=
 k8s.io/gengo v0.0.0-20190822140433-26a664648505/go.mod h1:ezvh/TsK7cY6rbqRK0oQQ8IAqLxYwwyPxAX1Pzy0ii0=
 k8s.io/klog v0.0.0-20181102134211-b9b56d5dfc92/go.mod h1:Gq+BEi5rUBO/HRz0bTSXDUcqjScdoY3a9IHpCEIOOfk=
-k8s.io/klog v0.3.0 h1:0VPpR+sizsiivjIfIAQH/rl8tan6jvWkS7lU+0di3lE=
 k8s.io/klog v0.3.0/go.mod h1:Gq+BEi5rUBO/HRz0bTSXDUcqjScdoY3a9IHpCEIOOfk=
 k8s.io/klog v1.0.0 h1:Pt+yjF5aB1xDSVbau4VsWe+dQNzA0qv1LlXdC2dF6Q8=
 k8s.io/klog v1.0.0/go.mod h1:4Bi6QPql/J/LkTDqv7R/cd3hPo4k2DG6Ptcz060Ez5I=
@@ -525,7 +493,6 @@ rsc.io/sampler v1.3.0/go.mod h1:T1hPZKmBbMNahiBKFy5HrXp6adAjACjK9JXDnKaTXpA=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.5.2 h1:pyXbUfoTo+HA3jeIfr0vgi+1WtmNh0CwlcnQGLXwsSw=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.5.2/go.mod h1:JZUwSMVbxDupo0lTJSSFP5pimEyxGynROImSsqIOx1A=
 sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff v0.0.0-20190525122527-15d366b2352e/go.mod h1:wWxsB5ozmmv/SG7nM11ayaAW51xMvak/t1r0CSlcokI=
-sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff v1.0.1-0.20191108220359-b1b620dd3f06 h1:zD2IemQ4LmOcAumeiyDWXKUI2SO0NYDe3H6QGvPOVgU=
 sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff v1.0.1-0.20191108220359-b1b620dd3f06/go.mod h1:/ULNhyfzRopfcjskuui0cTITekDduZ7ycKN3oUT9R18=
 sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.1.0 h1:4A07+ZFc2wgJwo8YNlQpr1rVlgUDlxXHhPJciaPY5gs=
 sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.1.0/go.mod h1:UJmg0vDUVViEyp3mgSv9WPwZCDxu4rQW1olrI1uml+o=
diff --git a/internal/config/constants.go b/internal/config/constants.go
index 2ab1efc..3392e98 100644
--- a/internal/config/constants.go
+++ b/internal/config/constants.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ const (
 	propertyAwsRegion = "aws.region"
 
 	//enable webhook property
-	propertAWSAccountID = "aws.accountId"
+	propertyAWSAccountID = "aws.accountId"
 
 	// user managed policies
 	propertyManagedPolicies = "iam.managed.policies"
@@ -37,12 +37,12 @@ const (
 	//enable webhook property
 	propertyWebhookEnabled = "webhook.enabled"
 
+	//golang-templated pattern to use for iam role name generation
+	propertyIamRolePattern = "iam.role.pattern"
+
 	//max allowed aws iam roles per namespace
 	propertyMaxIamRoles = "iam.role.max.limit.per.namespace"
 
-	//propertyDeriveNameFromNameSpace is a bool value and can be used to configure the name construction
-	propertyDeriveNameFromNameSpace = "iam.role.derive.from.namespace"
-
 	//propertyDesiredStateFrequency is a configurable param to make sure to check the external state (in seconds). default to 30 mins (1800 seconds)
 	propertyDesiredStateFrequency = "controller.desired.frequency"
 
diff --git a/internal/config/properties.go b/internal/config/properties.go
index cd653ec..f36fb0e 100644
--- a/internal/config/properties.go
+++ b/internal/config/properties.go
@@ -28,12 +28,12 @@ type Properties struct {
 	awsRegion                       string
 	isWebhookEnabled                string
 	maxRolesAllowed                 int
-	deriveNameFromNamespace         string
 	controllerDesiredFrequency      int
 	clusterName                     string
 	isIRSAEnabled                   string
 	clusterOIDCIssuerUrl            string
 	defaultTrustPolicy              string
+	iamRolePattern                  string
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ func LoadProperties(env string, cm ...*v1.ConfigMap) error {
 			managedPermissionBoundaryPolicy: os.Getenv("MANAGED_PERMISSION_BOUNDARY_POLICY"),
 			awsRegion:                       os.Getenv("AWS_REGION"),
 			isWebhookEnabled:                os.Getenv("ENABLE_WEBHOOK"),
-			deriveNameFromNamespace:         os.Getenv("DERIVE_NAME_FROM_NAMESPACE"),
 			clusterName:                     os.Getenv("CLUSTER_NAME"),
 			clusterOIDCIssuerUrl:            os.Getenv("CLUSTER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL"),
 			defaultTrustPolicy:              os.Getenv("DEFAULT_TRUST_POLICY"),
+			iamRolePattern:                  os.Getenv("IAM_ROLE_PATTERN"),
 		}
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -113,13 +113,6 @@ func LoadProperties(env string, cm ...*v1.ConfigMap) error {
 		Props.isWebhookEnabled = "false"
 	}
 
-	deriveNameFromNS := cm[0].Data[propertyDeriveNameFromNameSpace]
-	if deriveNameFromNS == "true" {
-		Props.deriveNameFromNamespace = "true"
-	} else {
-		Props.deriveNameFromNamespace = "false"
-	}
-
 	awsRegion := cm[0].Data[propertyAwsRegion]
 	if awsRegion != "" {
 		Props.awsRegion = awsRegion
@@ -149,7 +142,7 @@ func LoadProperties(env string, cm ...*v1.ConfigMap) error {
 		Props.controllerDesiredFrequency = 1800
 	}
 
-	awsAccountID := cm[0].Data[propertAWSAccountID]
+	awsAccountID := cm[0].Data[propertyAWSAccountID]
 	// Load AWS account ID
 	if Props.awsAccountID == "" && awsAccountID == "" {
 		awsAccountID, err := awsapi.NewSTS(Props.awsRegion).GetAccountID(context.Background())
@@ -161,6 +154,13 @@ func LoadProperties(env string, cm ...*v1.ConfigMap) error {
 		Props.awsAccountID = awsAccountID
 	}
 
+	iamRolePattern := cm[0].Data[propertyIamRolePattern]
+	if iamRolePattern == "" {
+		Props.iamRolePattern = "k8s-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}"
+	} else {
+		Props.iamRolePattern = iamRolePattern
+	}
+
 	managedPermissionBoundaryPolicyArn := cm[0].Data[propertyPermissionBoundary]
 
 	if managedPermissionBoundaryPolicyArn == "" {
@@ -243,12 +243,8 @@ func (p *Properties) IsWebHookEnabled() bool {
 	return resp
 }
 
-func (p *Properties) DeriveNameFromNamespace() bool {
-	resp := false
-	if p.deriveNameFromNamespace == "true" {
-		resp = true
-	}
-	return resp
+func (p *Properties) IamRolePattern() string {
+	return p.iamRolePattern
 }
 
 func (p *Properties) MaxRolesAllowed() int {
diff --git a/internal/config/properties_test.go b/internal/config/properties_test.go
index 16c8f22..00839e1 100644
--- a/internal/config/properties_test.go
+++ b/internal/config/properties_test.go
@@ -88,9 +88,9 @@ func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestLoadPropertiesSuccessWithDefaults(c *check.C) {
 	c.Assert(Props.MaxRolesAllowed(), check.Equals, 1)
 	c.Assert(Props.ControllerDesiredFrequency(), check.Equals, 1800)
 	c.Assert(Props.IsWebHookEnabled(), check.Equals, false)
-	c.Assert(Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace(), check.Equals, false)
 	c.Assert(Props.AWSAccountID(), check.Equals, "123456789012")
 	c.Assert(strings.HasPrefix(Props.ManagedPermissionBoundaryPolicy(), "arn:aws:iam:"), check.Equals, true)
+	c.Assert(Props.IamRolePattern(), check.Equals, "k8s-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}")
 	//when an emty string passed split strings gives you array of 1 with ""
 	c.Assert(len(Props.ManagedPolicies()), check.Equals, 1)
 	c.Assert(Props.ManagedPolicies()[0], check.Equals, "")
@@ -103,8 +103,7 @@ func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestLoadPropertiesSuccessWithDefaultsManagedPoliciesWi
 		Data: map[string]string{
 			"iam.managed.permission.boundary.policy": "iam-manager-permission-boundary",
 			"aws.accountId":                          "123456789012",
-			"iam.managed.policies": "DescribeEC2",
-
+			"iam.managed.policies":                   "DescribeEC2",
 		},
 	}
 	err := LoadProperties("", cm)
@@ -113,7 +112,6 @@ func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestLoadPropertiesSuccessWithDefaultsManagedPoliciesWi
 	c.Assert(Props.MaxRolesAllowed(), check.Equals, 1)
 	c.Assert(Props.ControllerDesiredFrequency(), check.Equals, 1800)
 	c.Assert(Props.IsWebHookEnabled(), check.Equals, false)
-	c.Assert(Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace(), check.Equals, false)
 	c.Assert(Props.AWSAccountID(), check.Equals, "123456789012")
 	c.Assert(strings.HasPrefix(Props.ManagedPermissionBoundaryPolicy(), "arn:aws:iam:"), check.Equals, true)
 	//when an emty string passed split strings gives you array of 1 with ""
@@ -131,13 +129,14 @@ func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestLoadPropertiesSuccessWithCustom(c *check.C) {
 			"iam.role.derive.from.namespace":         "true",
 			"controller.desired.frequency":           "30",
 			"iam.role.max.limit.per.namespace":       "5",
+			"iam.role.pattern":                       "pfx-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}",
 		},
 	}
 	err := LoadProperties("", cm)
 	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
 	c.Assert(Props.MaxRolesAllowed(), check.Equals, 5)
 	c.Assert(Props.ControllerDesiredFrequency(), check.Equals, 30)
-	c.Assert(Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace(), check.Equals, true)
+	c.Assert(Props.IamRolePattern(), check.Equals, "pfx-{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}")
 }
 
 func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestGetAllowedPolicyAction(c *check.C) {
@@ -180,11 +179,6 @@ func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestIsWebhookEnabled(c *check.C) {
 	c.Assert(value, check.Equals, false)
 }
 
-func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestDeriveNameFromNamespace(c *check.C) {
-	value := Props.DeriveNameFromNamespace()
-	c.Assert(value, check.Equals, false)
-}
-
 func (s *PropertiesSuite) TestControllerDesiredFrequency(c *check.C) {
 	value := Props.ControllerDesiredFrequency()
 	c.Assert(value, check.Equals, 0)
diff --git a/internal/utils/utils.go b/internal/utils/utils.go
index 881c43f..518a52e 100644
--- a/internal/utils/utils.go
+++ b/internal/utils/utils.go
@@ -125,3 +125,28 @@ func DefaultTrustPolicy(ctx context.Context, trustPolicyDoc string, ns string) (
 
 	return &trustPolicy, nil
 }
+
+// GenerateRoleName returns a roleName that should be created in IAM using
+// the supplied iam.role.pattern. This pattern can be customized by the
+// end-user.
+func GenerateRoleName(ctx context.Context, iamRole iammanagerv1alpha1.Iamrole, props config.Properties) (string, error) {
+	log := log.Logger(ctx, "internal.utils.utils", "GenerateRoleNam")
+	tmpl, err := template.New("rolename").Parse(props.IamRolePattern())
+	if err != nil {
+		msg := "unable to parse supplied iam.role.pattern"
+		log.Error(err, msg)
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	// Write the template output into a buffer and then grab that as a string.
+	// There is no way in GoLang natively to do this.
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	err = tmpl.ExecuteTemplate(buf, "rolename", iamRole)
+	if err != nil {
+		msg := "unable to execute iam.role.pattern template against the iamrole object"
+		log.Error(err, msg)
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	return buf.String(), nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/utils/utils_test.go b/internal/utils/utils_test.go
index 7bb9c08..381b4a6 100644
--- a/internal/utils/utils_test.go
+++ b/internal/utils/utils_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/keikoproj/iam-manager/internal/config"
 	"github.com/keikoproj/iam-manager/internal/utils"
 	"gopkg.in/check.v1"
+	v12 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -26,6 +27,13 @@ func TestUtilsTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
 func (s *UtilsTestSuite) SetUpTest(c *check.C) {
 	s.ctx = context.Background()
 	s.mockCtrl = gomock.NewController(s.t)
+
+	// Always reset the config.Props between tests - we make changes to them
+	// during certain tests, and we want to ensure that they are predictable
+	// between each test.
+	config.Props = nil
+	err := config.LoadProperties("LOCAL")
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
 }
 
 func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TearDownTest(c *check.C) {
@@ -516,3 +524,104 @@ func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TestGetTrustPolicyWithIRSAAnnotationAndServiceRoleInReq
 	c.Assert(roleString, check.Equals, string(expected))
 
 }
+
+func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TestGenerateNameFunction(c *check.C) {
+	cm := &v12.ConfigMap{
+		Data: map[string]string{
+			"aws.accountId":                  "123456789012", // Required mock for testing
+			"iam.role.derive.from.namespace": "false",
+			"iam.role.pattern":               "pfx+{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}",
+		},
+	}
+	config.Props = nil
+	err := config.LoadProperties("", cm)
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+
+	resource := &v1alpha1.Iamrole{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "foo",
+			Namespace: "test-ns",
+		},
+	}
+	name, err := utils.GenerateRoleName(s.ctx, *resource, *config.Props)
+	c.Assert(name, check.Equals, "pfx+foo")
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+}
+
+func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TestGenerateNameFunctionWithNamespace(c *check.C) {
+	cm := &v12.ConfigMap{
+		Data: map[string]string{
+			"aws.accountId":                  "123456789012", // Required mock for testing
+			"iam.role.derive.from.namespace": "true",
+			"iam.role.pattern":               "pfx+{{ .ObjectMeta.Namespace}}+{{ .ObjectMeta.Name }}",
+		},
+	}
+	config.Props = nil
+	err := config.LoadProperties("", cm)
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+
+	resource := &v1alpha1.Iamrole{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "foo",
+			Namespace: "test-ns",
+		},
+	}
+	roleName, err := utils.GenerateRoleName(s.ctx, *resource, *config.Props)
+	c.Assert(roleName, check.Equals, "pfx+test-ns+foo")
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+}
+
+func assertPanic(t *testing.T, f func()) {
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r == nil {
+			t.Errorf("The code did not panic")
+		}
+	}()
+	f()
+}
+
+func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TestGenerateNameFunctionBadTemplate(c *check.C) {
+	cm := &v12.ConfigMap{
+		Data: map[string]string{
+			"aws.accountId":                  "123456789012", // Required mock for testing
+			"iam.role.derive.from.namespace": "true",
+			"iam.role.pattern":               "pfx+{{ invalid-template }}",
+		},
+	}
+	config.Props = nil
+	err := config.LoadProperties("", cm)
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+
+	resource := &v1alpha1.Iamrole{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "foo",
+			Namespace: "test-ns",
+		},
+	}
+	_, err = utils.GenerateRoleName(s.ctx, *resource, *config.Props)
+	c.Assert(err, check.NotNil)
+	c.Assert(err.Error(), check.Matches, ".*unexpected bad character.*")
+}
+
+func (s *UtilsTestSuite) TestGenerateNameFunctionBadObjectReference(c *check.C) {
+	cm := &v12.ConfigMap{
+		Data: map[string]string{
+			"aws.accountId":                  "123456789012", // Required mock for testing
+			"iam.role.derive.from.namespace": "true",
+			"iam.role.pattern":               "pfx+{{ .invalid.data }}",
+		},
+	}
+	config.Props = nil
+	err := config.LoadProperties("", cm)
+	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
+
+	resource := &v1alpha1.Iamrole{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "foo",
+			Namespace: "test-ns",
+		},
+	}
+	_, err = utils.GenerateRoleName(s.ctx, *resource, *config.Props)
+	c.Assert(err, check.NotNil)
+	c.Assert(err.Error(), check.Matches, ".*field invalid in type.*")
+}