New management appointments focus on comms, biometrics market footprint, and inclusion

Several new appointments in the biometrics industry may signal a growing focus on communications, and inclusion. FinGo has announced a major expansion of its leadership team, while Hanwha Techwin America shuffled up its management to increase its security and surveillance operations, and Clear hired political insider Ken Lisaius to lead its internal and external communications campaigns. Similarly, SITA appointed Mark Smillie to lead the firm’s communications and data exchange and Unisys welcomed Wendy-Reynolds-Dobbs to lead diversity and inclusion.

FinGo brings in 2 C-level execs and engineering head

Three major leaders have been appointed by FinGo, with Katie Brownridge taking the chief operations officer role, Andy Horton appointed chief technology officer, and Stephen Alale named head of engineering.

Brownridge and Horton being previous C-level experience to the vein biometrics provider, as it seeks to build on a series of recent deployments, including for national ID and a digital health pass system.

Dan Cox, who is listed on DataLead as a director of FinGo, has been named chief financial officer, and Simon Binns, who is listed by the same source as chief marketing officer, has been appointed chief commercial officer.

“Katie, Andy and Stephen are integral additions to the company, and the wealth of fintech experience they bring with them is invaluable to us at this crucial stage of growth,” states FinGo CEO Nick Dryden. “We couldn’t be more excited to have them on board, and their expertise will help to bolster the great work already being done at FinGo, at home and globally.”

Hanwha appoints Choong Hoon Ha to lead face biometrics security systems

Hanwha Techwin America (HTA) announced the appointment of Choong Hoon Ha to succeed KiChul Kim as the firm’s newest president. While Kim will move on to lead Hanwha Techwin’s Korea’s global sales and marketing efforts, Ha will focus on HTA’s leadership efforts to further deepen its footprint in the security and surveillance market. Ha will specifically expand the company’s next-level cybersecurity, AI, and cloud technology solutions.

Previously, Ha worked eleven years furthering HTA’s growth, technology innovation, and product development. He recently served as assistant VP of corporate business planning at the firm’s New Jersey offices.

“My mission is to build on the solid foundation of success created under the leadership of Mr. Ahn and Mr. Kim,” said Ha. “Our ability to quickly develop and release leading-edge products, technologies, and services has allowed us to experience sustained growth even through the extraordinary challenges brought on by the pandemic. Hanwha Techwin will remain committed to supporting our customers with the right tools and resources as we look forward to continued success in 2021 and beyond.”

Clear hires communications professional and biometric health passport advocate Ken Lisaius

Clear announced that it has hired Ken Lisaius to lead the company’s regional and national public affairs operations and oversee its external and internal communications strategies. The biometric digital ID firm also hired former Biden campaign content strategist Laura Brounstein as head of content and storytelling.

These latest appointments will aid Clear’s ongoing health partnerships to establish a common biometric health passport for post-COVID travel, the company says.

Lisaius, who was instrumental in public affairs and communications for the Clear Health Pass mobile app, previously worked at the Biotechnology Organization, holding positions of senior adviser, public affairs director, and communications SVP. He also served as deputy press secretary for President George W. Bush and held several other key positions on Capitol Hill.

New VP Martin Smillie to lead SITA communications and data exchange portfolio

SITA has further expanded its executive team, welcoming Martin Smillie as the new Vice President of the firm’s communications and data exchange portfolio. Smillie previously worked as director of group security at Denmark-based TCD Group. He will leverage his extensive IT and telecommunications experience to lead SITA’s next-gen solutions that use IoT, data, cloud, SDN, and biometric APIs to aid the company’s ongoing efforts to innovate the air transport industry.

SITA Airports and Borders CEO David Lavorel said: “Given this rapidly evolving demand from the industry, a key focus at SITA is to accelerate the development of new solutions that allow SITA to continue to lead the market. We need to help our customers become more efficient and better able to serve their passengers. Given the depth of his experience, I am convinced that Martin will steer this core part of our business to continued success, securing our leadership as a trusted and innovative partner.”

Unisys welcomes new diversity and inclusion executive

Unisys appointed Wendy Reynolds-Dobbs as the firm’s global leader for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Reynolds-Dobbs previously served as Change Healthcare’s VP of Talent Management and Diversity and Inclusion where she oversaw inclusion strategy and programming efforts as well as talent management and succession planning.

Unisys Human Resources Chief Katie Ebrahimi, who co-chairs Unisys’ Inclusion and Diversity Council said, “Wendy’s experience, successful track record, and infectious passion will be invaluable to Unisys as we accelerate our progress along our DEI journey. Through her efforts, we will be able to listen more closely to the diverse perspectives of people both inside and outside of our company, and create new opportunities for equity and inclusion in our workplace as a result.”

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometrics  |  CLEAR  |  digital identity  |  financial inclusion  |  Fingo  |  Hanwha  |  SITA  |  Unisys