Mastercard adds former CIA deputy director to boost security

Mastercard's enhanced security strategy is getting a personnel boost through the addition of CIA veteran Jeanne Tisinger as a senior adviser for cybersecurity.

In her new position Tisinger will help Mastercard implement and expand its security strategy and public policy initiatives, the company said Friday.

“People shouldn’t have to choose between convenience and security,” Ajay Banga, Mastercard’s CEO, said in a press release. “They want to have the peace of mind that their personal information, money and identity are secure. That’s what Jeanne has done throughout her career and what she’ll add to our team.”

DANIEL ACKER/BLOOMBERG NEWS

Tisinger spent three decades at the CIA, most recently as deputy director, overseeing the agency’s physical and cybersecurity and information technology spanning more than 100 countries.

Previously Tisinger served as chief information officer and director of global infrastructure, managing and coordinating the agency’s data analytics programs.

Mastercard recently began stressing stepped-up security, with a focus on emerging innovations in machine learning, in response to a series of major data breaches that have impacted the retail and credit reporting industries over the past few years.