Mike, who has a PhD in Computer Security from the University of Cambridge has had many academic papers published on the themes of EMV/Chip and PIN, Security Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).

Whilst previously working as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory, one of Mike's specialist research areas was Security APIs. His work led him to become well known in technical circles for successfully hacking the Hardware Security Modules of major global vendors.

Notably, Mike also co-authored a paper in 2004, which was published in Manuscript, titled Laser Printed PIN Mailer Vulnerability Report. The paper outlined flaws in modern laser printed mailer technology used by the UK banking industry. It was used co-operatively with the industry so that relevant products could be revised in order to improve the security of PIN mailers.

In addition to Mike's academic achievements, he has previously acted as a consultant to a number of security firms and has been called on as an expert witness on banking systems security and ATM security by the Crown Court, Magistrates Court and the High Court of South Africa.

Commenting on his new post, Mike says: "I have great respect for Cryptomathic as a world leader in security solutions provisioning so I welcomed the opportunity to become the company's new Security Director.

My responsibilities at Cryptomathic will include designing cryptographic architectures and APIs for products and aiding the implementation of custom APIs in projects using HSMs, so I will feel perfectly at home. I look forward to not only using my skills and experience gained to date, but also developing them further as I work alongside the team here at Cryptomathic, which includes some of the world's best cryptographers."