Suprema ID, Simprints, SenseTime, Pindrop, GBG, ID2020 welcome new executives, advisors

Biometrics providers Suprema ID, Simprints, SenseTime, Pindrop and GBG, along with ID2020, have all hired new executives and advisors to variously advance regional growth, increase revenue and guide strategic direction.

New African sales representative for Suprema ID

Suprema ID’s biometric solutions will get a push in the African telecommunications and banking markets following the hiring of Kobie Coetzee as the company’s sales representative for the region.

Coetzee comes with telecoms and payments solutions experience gathered from his stints at companies including Glocell, Altech Card Services, Prism Payment Technologies and Bankserv, according to a press release. The appointee, Suprema ID says, will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“My role is to identify and develop new business opportunities in the region, further develop and strengthen relationships with partners and provide support from within the region,” Coetzee said. “I am looking forward to working closely with my Suprema ID colleagues in South Africa and Korea to increase our footprint and revenues in the region.”

Ed Tang to lead Pindrop’s revenue operations

With over 25 years of experience in strategy, finance and operations, Ed Tang is joining Pindrop as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to help grow the company’s voice biometric authentication revenue in its next stage of market growth.

Tang, who takes over from Jeff Hodges, will also lead Pindrop’s security organizations.

The new CFO has had roles in various companies such as Salesforce, Box, and Lever. Before these stints, Tang led finance management roles at Williams Sonoma and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Tang expressed excitement joining the Pindrop team: “I have had the privilege of working with some of the most innovative and successful technology companies in Silicon Valley, and Pindrop is on a similar trajectory of establishing enterprise-market dominance in the voice authentication space. As new voice capabilities emerge, it’s changing the way we interact with technology, and Pindrop is at the forefront of defining the very standard of trusted and secure voice technology solutions,” he said.

Vijay Balasubramaniyan, CEO and co-founder of Pindrop, said: “As we continue to become the industry leader in all things voice security, authentication, and verification, we’re thrilled to have Ed Tang join our rapidly growing team. Tang’s extensive experience in leading and growing complex strategy and finance teams will help further fuel our momentum as we continue to pave the way for the future of innovative, secure, and trusted voice interactions.”

Tang’s addition follows the recent hiring of Collin Davis as new CTO at a time when the organization is experiencing significant growth and expansion of services.

Simprints welcomes new Board member

Simprints is looking to benefit from the “incredible expertise” of new Board Member Debra Fine, the company said in a LinkedIn post.

As founder and chairperson of investment firm Fine Capital Partners LP, and vice chair of Save the Children International, Fine has a wealth of experience having held roles in multiple non-profit boards in leadership positions with a focus on governance, finance, audit and investment committees focusing on global humanitarian relief, education, and poverty alleviation, according to the Simprints announcement.

The company adds that Fine is a holder of an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University, and invests in many social enterprises that focus on financial inclusion both at home and internationally.

Renowned author lands SenseTime research role

Liu Cixin, award-winning Chinese sci-fi writer and author of The Three-Body Problem, has been appointed by SenseTime as director of the company’s Science Fiction Planet Research Center, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

Announced at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Liu said he will help in the project as it seeks a world which “…welcomes everyone to experience the vastness of the universe, the insignificance of human beings, and the infinite possibilities in the future,” SCMP states.

The outlet adds that SenseTime has not divulged details of the project, but says it is working on “an innovative and immersive offline entertainment experience.”

SCMP writes that apart from the sci-fi initiative, SenseTime made disclosures about some of its projects which include augmented reality, sensing technology for smart vehicles as well as an algorithm and computing infrastructure project dubbed SenseCore AI Infrastructure.

GBG builds up APAC management team

GBG has announced several appointments in the Asia-Pacific region to drive the growth of its biometric and identity technologies in South-East Asia.

Bernardi Susastyo has been named general manager of Asia for GBG, Shekhar Bhagat has been made head of alliances for Asia Pacific, and Ng Han Liong is GBG’s new head of presales for Southeast Asia. All three will be based out of Singapore.

GBG APAC Managing Director Dev Dhiman said the three bring a wealth of experience and position the company for long-term sustainable growth in the region.

GBG’s technology team in Malaysia has also grown in size by four times, according to the announcement, as it develops the company’s next-generation financial crime platform.

The company is planning to broaden its identity verification portfolio in the months ahead.

ID2020 adds Brazilian privacy advocate to board

Brazilian privacy advocate Danilo Doneda has joined ID2020’s board of directors to help advance its mission of supporting user-managed, privacy-protecting digital ID.

Doneda is a practicing attorney and professor, serving as director of the Center for Law, Internet, and Society (CEDIS/IDP). He is also a member of Brazil’s National Data Protection and Privacy Council, and International Association of Privacy Professionals’ (IAPP’s) board of directors, as well as the United Nations Global Pulse Privacy Group and the Project Children and Consumption (Instituto Alana). He has previously served as general coordinator for the Brazilian Ministry of Justice’s Department of Consumer Protection and Defense.

“We are delighted to welcome Danilo to the board of directors,” said ID2020 board chair, Kim Gagné. “ID2020 has always been committed to the idea that individuals must be able to control how their personal data is collected, used, and shared. Privacy – and the trust that derives from it – is essential for digital identity to achieve its potential for empowering and protecting individuals, especially the most vulnerable members of society. Danilo’s extensive experience and commitment to digital privacy and data protection made him an obvious addition to the ID2020 board and we are grateful for his commitment to our work.”

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometrics  |  Board of Directors  |  digital identity  |  GBG  |  ID2020  |  Pindrop  |  SenseTime  |  SimPrints  |  Suprema ID