ID2020 seeks new ED as Gruener steps aside

A leadership change is underway at ID2020, with Founder Dakota Gruener shifting to an advisory role.

Several companies in the biometrics space have also added new talent and made leadership changes over the last week, with Biosite Systems appointing Mike Rimmington as managing director, and VerifyMe appointing Sarah Essien as its chief operating officer (COO). Also, Identos’s chief technology officer (CTO) Alec Laws has joined the Kantara Initiative’s Leadership Council as co-vice chair, and Veridium hires Damon Ebanks as its new vice president of marketing.

Now hiring: ID2020 executive director

Dakota Gruener, founder of ID2020, is leaving the executive director role.

Under her leadership, the organization grew to 28 members, including prominent technology companies, government and civil society organizations. ID2020 Chairman Kim Gagné expressed the Board’s gratitude to Gruener for its creation and growth.

Gruener will remain associated with ID2020 as an advisor to its board of directors.

“It has been an honor to serve as ID2020’s executive director and to contribute to the evolution of the digital ID ecosystem,” states Gruener. “Together, we have already reshaped the digital ID discussion by ensuring that individuals are at the center of data exchange. We need to continue investing to ensure that equity and inclusion are front-and-center in the design and implementation of digital ID systems. I look forward to my continued role as advisor to the board of directors and to helping ID2020 continue to grow and thrive.”

ID2020 is looking for a new full-time, remote-working executive director to carry out its strategic and organizational objectives, according to the job posting. Applicants should have at least seven years of top-level management experience, a background in nonprofits and outstanding communication skills.

Biosite CFO takes managing director role

Previously Biosite’s chief financial officer, Rimmington joined the company in 2019 and has in the past three years reportedly increased Biosite’s revenue by 27 percent year-on-year.

As the company’s new managing director, Rimmington will be focusing on international expansion and bringing Biosite’s offering to a wider audience.

“Since starting Biosite more than a decade ago, I have been passionate about our unique offering in biometric access control and as a solutions provider for construction,” comments Biosite Co-founder Li Wang, who is now vice president of Hospitality at parent company Assa Abloy. The Swedish access control giant acquired Biosite in 2020.

“Mike has been instrumental in the progress the business has made in recent years and his financial acumen and tenacity – plus crucially his shared passion for the business and the team – make him ideally placed to champion Biosite on the next stage of the growth journey.”

Rimmington succeeds Li in the managing director role, following the latter’s move to his current VP position.

VerifyMe Nigeria hires new COO

Prior to joining VerifyMe, Sarah Essien worked at HSBC Bank in various capacities for roughly seven years. Before that, she served as operations director within Shared Services and Banking Operations (SSBO) for Morgan Stanley.

As VerifyMe’s new COO, Essien will oversee the expansion of the company’s business in Nigeria and beyond.

“Our biggest growth will be driven by our new range of customer analytics solutions that we are currently testing with some of our clients,” says Essien.

“They will be a game-changer and reinforced by the direct access we have to key government data sources. Watch this space! We have a lot of exciting announcements to come.”

Kantara Initiative welcomes new Co-vice Chair

Alec Laws has held the role of chair of the User-Managed Access (UMA 2.0) Work Group within the Kantara Initiative since June 2021.

The project brings volunteers from across the identity industry together to work towards the goal of giving control of personal data back to individuals.

According to the organization, Laws’ appointment as Kantara’s co-vice chair underscores the importance of having UMA 2.0 as part of Kantara’s leadership mandate as well as Identos’s commitment to putting patients in control of their health data.

“As a strong supporter of open standards and User-Managed Access, I am thrilled to be joining Kantara’s Leadership Council,” Laws says, commenting on the news.

“The position allows Identos to continue our contributions to the development of industry standards alongside world-class thinkers and experts.”

Veridium appoints new Vice President of Marketing

Passwordless authentication expert Veridium welcomed Damon Ebanks as vice president of marketing.

Ebanks will be based at Tampa, Florida, and brings to Veridium over 15 years of marketing campaigns and demand-generation programs for identity-as-a-service provider IDMworks and the Identity and Access Management (IAM) consultancy GCA Technology Services (GTS).

“I’m honored to join the leadership team at Veridium, a Gartner-recognized, intelligent, passwordless MFA company,” Ebanks said.

“As we look to the future, I am particularly excited to ensure Veridium’s market-driving innovations in trusted identities and intelligent security reach the many, many companies whose customers today are deeply concerned with both the intricacy and risks of interacting online.”

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometrics  |  Biosite  |  digital identity  |  ID2020  |  Kantara  |  Veridium  |  VerifyMe Nigeria