Longtime Payment Industry Executive to Lead North American Efforts for The PCI SSC
WAKEFIELD, Mass., 10 August 2023 – The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global standards body for the payment card industry has announced Wenlock “Wen” Free as the new Regional Vice President for North America. This role will seek to expand outreach efforts to educate and promote the importance of the PCI Security Standards and engage industry stakeholders in a meaningful way.
Based in the United States, Wen will serve as Regional Vice President and will be responsible for driving stakeholder engagement and education throughout North America. In this new role, he will help to drive awareness and growth of the Council with an emphasis on educating stakeholders on the importance of data security for payments, growing participation, and supporting the adoption of PCI SSC standards within the North America region. Wen will be the primary liaison with North American payment stakeholders for the PCI SSC.
“Wen brings a wealth of industry relationships and knowledge to the PCI SSC, and we are excited to have him join the PCI family,” said Lance Johnson, Executive Director of the PCI Security Standards Council. “Wen will play a key role in our continued focus on engaging payment industry professionals under our new and expanded governance structure.”
“As payments continue to evolve and change at a rapid pace, Wen will play an important role in helping the PCI SSC to maintain and build key relationships in order to bring greater expertise and participation to all that we do,” said Mark Meissner, Senior Vice President, Education & Engagement at the PCI SSC.
“I am excited to work for the organization that continues to be at the forefront of payment security,” said Wen Free. “My background in the industry and my passion for risk management helps organizations better understand the importance of what the PCI SSC does and why it matters. There has never been a more important time for the payments industry to come together than now. I look forward to tackling this important challenge.”
Wen spent 20 years in a senior role at Security Metrics where he led strategic partnerships and business development activities. Wen enjoys vintage cars and exploring new beaches in this free time.
About the PCI Security Standards Council
The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing industry-driven, flexible, and effective data security standards and programs that help businesses detect, mitigate and prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Connect with the PCI SSC on LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Twitter @PCISSC. Subscribe to the PCI Perspectives Blog.
