Press Release

PCI Security Standards Council Earns Gold dotCOMM Award for Women in Payments Podcast Series

 

Podcast Series Also Recognized with an Honorable Mention at Hermes Creative Awards

WAKEFIELD, Mass., 20 October 2021 — PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), in partnership with its professional services firm, Virtual, has earned a gold dotCOMM award for its Paving the Way: Inspiring Women in Payments podcast series in the category of Podcasts – Series, Education. The international dotCOMM Awards program honors excellence in web creativity and digital communication and is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).

“PCI SSC is honored to be recognized, along with Virtual, for our efforts in utilizing our new podcast platform to call attention to the deficit of women in cybersecurity professions,” said Alicia Malone, Senior Manager, Public Relations for PCI SSC. “While progress has been made in recent years, women still only represent somewhere between 15 – 20 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce. Our podcast is a great tool to help us advocate by featuring successful women who can serve as an inspiration to others who might consider a career in the payments industry.”

The dotCOMM Awards program offers third-party recognition from one of the largest, oldest, and most respected evaluators of creative work in the global marketing and communication industry, the AMCP. The competition is unique in that it highlights the role of creatives in the dynamic web that is transforming how people market and communicate about their products and services.

“The dotCOMM awards demonstrate that Virtual’s creative and digital marketing campaigns, such as PCI SSC’s podcast series, stand with the best in the industry,” said Stacey Comito, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Virtual, Inc. “In today’s landscape, visual and audio content are some of the most effective mediums for getting those important messages across in an impactful way. These awards are a testament to our work in these areas, and we are thrilled to be recognized.”

The women featured in Paving the Way: Inspiring Women in Payments were selected through a formal nomination process and are all active participants, through their companies, in PCI SSC’s many programs. Collectively, they represent a global perspective of women in the payments industry with viewpoints from New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Singapore and more.

Earlier this year, the Paving the Way: Inspiring Women in Payments podcast series also received an Honorable Mention at the Hermes Creative Awards in the category of e-Media – Audio/Radio Podcast Series. Now in its 15th year, Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals that recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals. The awards are also administered and judged by the AMCP.

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.

About Virtual, Inc.
Virtual is a professional services firm that enables organizations to achieve their goals and make a mark on the world. Whether helping an organization go from zero to 800 corporate members in a mere 18 months, to creating and facilitating the adoption of digital payment standards around the world or extending the reach and impact of an international group dedicated to curing prostate and breast cancer, Virtual provides strategic advisory and execution services that drive real results for technology consortia, standards groups and associations that are forming, growing or changing.

Virtual was recently named again to The Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Work” list, and the firm has been named three times to Inc. Magazine’s list of 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. Virtual is accredited by the AMC Institute, the global trade group that represents the association management industry. For more information about Virtual, Inc., visit www.virtualinc.com.

 

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