Hopae appoints Sarah Clark to lead US expansion of digital ID verification platform

Sarah Clark is Hopae’s new CPO and GM for North America, joining the Seoul-headquartered company to help extend the reach of its global digital identity infrastructure and expand its presence in the region. Her LinkedIn profile reveals that Clark has held the positions since November.

Clark is well-known in the identity industry, in part from her time as SVP of Digital Identity at Mastercard, where the announcement notes she led the development of a globally interoperable digital ID network (the ID Network). Clark left Mastercard in 2024 and joined Keyless as an advisor for the U.S. market a year before it was acquired by Ping Identity.

Her 25 years of experience in product leadership also includes SVP and GM roles with Idemia and Mitek.

Clark’s first priority in her new role with Hopae is building on the leadership position of Hopae Connect, the company’s tool for integrating high-assurance identity verification using government-issued digital identities across diverse markets. She will also be tasked with growing Hopae’s business customer base in the U.S., where it has offices in San Francisco.

“I joined the digital identity field with the conviction that it could solve real, long-standing challenges,” says Clark in the company announcement. “Today, government-issued digital identities and wallets are accelerating across regions, but their diversity makes access increasingly complex. I am thrilled to use my unique experience building global ID networks to strengthen Hopae Connect’s market-leading position while also contributing to Hopae’s broader strategy. As someone who cares deeply about a future that looks out for data privacy for all individuals, I am also very excited by the opportunity to help shape Hopae’s broader digital identity infrastructure, that enables privacy-preserving credentials beyond government-issued IDs.”

“2026 will redefine how people interact online,” says Ace Shim, CEO and founder of Hopae. “For U.S.-based companies serving European customers, compliance with EU regulations, such as eIDAS 2.0, is unavoidable. Beyond Europe, the real challenge is scale: organizations that want to strengthen trust and reduce fraud will have to support a growing and fragmented landscape of digital IDs and wallets worldwide, including global financial services and marketplaces where trust is critical.”

Hopae is also in the midst of expanding its European presence, announcing a deal with Luxembourg-based Datai to deliver modernized KYC last week.

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Hopae