PCI Security Standards Council Announces Elected Board of Advisors

More than 100 organizations from across the payment industry were nominated for their direct experience and leadership in the field, reflecting the varied perspectives of different global stakeholders. To ensure the desired breadth of industry focus, the elected seats were distributed within the categories of: Financial Institutions; Merchants; Processors; and Others (Point of Sale (POS) Vendors, Industry Associations, etc).

Of those nominated, 14 organizations have been elected by their peers in the PCI SSC Participating Organizations member base to serve on the board and provide strategic and technical guidance to the PCI Security Standards Council. The elected organizations are as follows:

• APACS, the U.K. Payments Association
• Bank of America Chase Paymentech
• First Data Corporation
• JP Morgan Chase and Co.
• Microsoft
• Moneris Solutions Corporation
• PayPal
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Tesco Stores Ltd.
• TSYS Acquiring Solutions
• VeriFone Inc
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

"We are excited about the overwhelming number of nominations and the response of the organizations elected to the PCI SSC Board of Advisors," said Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council. "I applaud all of those involved in this election for openly demonstrating their commitment to securing payment data. Our Board of Advisors brings an exceptional amount of industry leadership and real-world experience to our ongoing discussions. We are pleased to unite these organizations in our mission to protect payment data and shape the next generation of PCI security standards."

To ensure geographic and functional diversity, an additional seven seats will be appointed from the Participating Organization roster by the PCI SSC Executive Council to fill any gaps in representation and to help augment any under-represented stakeholder sector or geographic market. As a worldwide organization managing a global standard, the Council needs input from EMEA, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific to reflect the global nature of card data security threats. The additional seven Board members will be announced in the next few months.

"APACS is delighted to have been elected as a member of the PCI SSC Board of Advisors, we will use our unique position in the UK and European card payments arena to provide significant input to the development of first class security standards in response to the emerging threats and vulnerabilities that impact our industry," said Colin Whittaker, Head of Security, APACS.

The first order of business for the elected Board will be preparing for the inaugural PCI SSC Community Meeting, a three-day event convening Participating Organizations and PCI SSC approved Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) and Approved Scanning Vendors (ASVs) to be held in Toronto on September 17-19.

The agenda for the Community Meeting is focused on increasing the collaboration of those involved in payment process globally. The Board of Advisors will help shape the agenda of this meeting and work with the Council to prioritize the discussions regarding existing and new payment card security standards.

"Ensuring the integrity of the electronic payments system is paramount to VeriFone. The work of the PCI Security Standards Council is critical to maintaining the trust relationship between consumers and the payments industry," said Paul Rasori, Vice President, Global Product Marketing, Verifone.

For More Information:

If you would like more information about the PCI Security Standards Council or would like to become a Participating Organization so that you can attend the upcoming PCI SSC community meeting, please visit pcisecuritystandards.org, or contact the PCI Security Standards Council at info@pcisecuritystandards.org.

About the PCI Security Standards Council

The mission of the PCI Security Standards Council is to enhance payment account security by fostering broad adoption of the PCI Data Security Standard and other standards that increase payment data security.

The PCI Security Standards Council was formed by the major payment card brands American Express(R), Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International to provide a transparent forum in which all stakeholders can provide input into the ongoing development, enhancement and dissemination of the Data Security Standard. Merchants, banks, processors and point of sale vendors are encouraged to join as Participating Organizations.

Board of Advisors Quotes:

APACS, the UK Payments Association

"APACS is delighted to have been elected as a member of the PCI-SSC Board of Advisors; we will use our unique position in the UK and European card payments arena to provide significant input to the development of first class security standards in response to the emerging threats and vulnerabilities that impact our industry." - Colin Whittaker, Head of Security -- APACS

Bank of America

"The PCI Security Standards Council is a far-reaching initiative that brings together financial institutions, merchants, payments processors and other stakeholders in a coordinated effort to enhance payment account data security. As a leader in the payments industry, Bank of America is pleased to join the PCI Security Standards Council's Board of Advisors and looks forward to addressing the increasingly complex and important security issues facing the payment card industry." - Robert Ruark, Merchant Services Executive, Global Treasury Services -- Bank of America

Chase Paymentech Solutions

"Continued acceptance of the PCI Data Security Standards is critical to maintaining consumers' trust in the electronic payment system. Establishment of the PCI SSC Board of Advisors is an important step toward ensuring that security requirements in the payment industry have broad acceptance by all stakeholders." - Michael L. Herman, Chief Compliance Officer -- Chase Paymentech Solutions

First Data

"Technology is the backbone of First Data's business. It supports the work we do every day around the globe, and ensuring the security of the payments we process is of paramount importance." "We are proud to join the PCI Board of Advisors. First Data brings a unique perspective to the table, and we're committed to leading the industry in advancing the adoption of standards that secure sensitive customer data from potential fraud and risk." - Todd Strubbe, President of First Data Debit Services -- First Data

JPMorgan Chase & Co

"JPMorgan Chase & Co is honored to be selected to the PCI Board of Advisors. Security and cardmember privacy protection is a priority at Chase Card Services. Each day, we work hard to provide our cardmembers with products and services that offer not only a convenient and easy way to pay, but also a safe and secure way to pay. We understand that PCI compliance is vital to our relationship with our customers and to our business and we continuously look for ways to maintain high levels of security for our customers." - Brian DiPietro, Information Security Director -- JPMorgan Chase & Co

Microsoft

"We are honored by the support of our fellow PCI constituents and are pleased to be given this opportunity to help drive governance of the PCI standard. We strongly believe in the principles underlying the PCI standard and will seek to fairly represent the views of our fellow constituents throughout the evolution of the standard. Ultimately, we share a holistic goal of wanting to promote good and effective data security practices that will provide consumers and the public with confidence in the payments space." - Steven White, Group Manager, Business Systems & Governance -- Microsoft

Moneris Solutions Corporation

"Cardholder data security is paramount to the integrity of the electronic payments system. We are pleased to play a leadership role on behalf of our merchants and our industry in advocating for security standards that are rational and attainable." - Fern Glowinsky, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary -- Moneris Solutions Corporation

Paypal

"As a global online payments service, PayPal is pleased to have been chosen by our peers to help enhance the PCI Data Security Standard. This standard plays a vital role in protecting the integrity of the payments ecosystem and we look forward to working with other industry leaders to maximize its value, practicality and impact." - Michael Barrett, Chief Information Security Officer -- PayPal

Verifone

"Ensuring the integrity of the electronic payments system is paramount to VeriFone. The work of the PCI Security Standards Council is critical to maintaining the trust relationship between consumers and the payments industry." - Paul Rasori, Vice President, Global Product Marketing -- Verifone

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

"Wal-Mart takes very seriously the protection of customer data and we are honored to have a position on the Advisory Board. PCI is not a one-time project or issue. The industry's efforts to maintain the safety of cardholders' data will continue to be an ongoing challenge. We appreciate the confidence placed in us and we will strive to be a responsible, contributing member of the Board." - Michael A. Cook, Vice President & Asst. Treasurer -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.