NuData Security today announced that Christopher Bailey, senior vice president and chief technology officer, has been appointed CEO of NuData and executive vice president of EMV/Digital Devices at Mastercard.
Christopher’s appointment follows the retirement of Michel Giasson, who served as CEO of NuData for the last 12 years and guided the business to the award-winning passive biometrics company that it is today. Christopher co-founded NuData with Michel in 2007. The company was later acquired by Mastercard in 2017, nearly tripling employee count.
Christopher has a strong track record of founding or investing in start-ups and turning them into industry leaders. He founded H20, a gaming company for Nintendo, THQ and Sony, and Secure Networks, a company acquired by Network Associates.
In his new role, Christopher is responsible for NuData’s strategic vision and direction of user verification intelligence, and Mastercard’s Digital Devices division, including the creation of an integrated security path with EMV. He will focus on evolving NuData’s technology stack into solutions that stretch beyond the login or device, and that evaluate and confirm the user from different angles every step of the way.
“I am delighted to announce Christopher’s appointment as CEO of NuData. Effective user verification has become critical amidst growing numbers of cyber breaches. Christopher’s diverse experience and deep security expertise will allow us to further scale NuData, while leveraging our technologies and products to transform the digital payment experience. I have every confidence in Christopher and the team seeing us through this next chapter,” said Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber & intelligence at Mastercard.
“Michel has been a mentor for me and is a reference for many in the cybersecurity industry, so it is a privilege to continue his legacy. As CEO, I will ensure NuData maintains its focus on the two things that have always set us apart: unparalleled customer service and a work environment that fosters the creation of secure and innovative products,” said Christopher. “As the market shifts towards centralized authentication, NuData and Mastercard are uniquely placed to lead passive biometrics and user verification with security embedded into every level.”