CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 9, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2013 SMART CARD ALLIANCE MEMBER MEETING -- The Smart Card Alliance Latin America (SCALA) announced its new Executive Committee today at the 2013 Smart Card Alliance Member Meeting. The Committee will lead SCALA's advisory board and efforts to build awareness and adoption of smart card technology throughout the Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Executive Committee was recently elected for a two-year term by peers from chapter member organizations based on their leadership qualities and commitment to supporting SCALA's efforts in developing the smart card market in Latin America and the Caribbean. The new Executive Committee is:
- Chairman: Fernando Mendez, Visa Inc.
- Vice-Chair: Kim Hangoc, MasterCard Worldwide
- Secretary: Pablo Juan, Giesecke y Devrient
- Technical Advisor: Filipe Mello, Watchdata Technologies
- Financial Institution Advisor: Jorge Krug, Banco Do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul - Banrisul
- Observing General Member: Nidia Ceballos Molinar, First Data
"The Latin American smart card market has seen a lot of momentum in recent years with the introduction of EMV payments, e-Passport, smart transit fare cards, and secure government and identity initiatives," said Edgar Betts, associate director of the Smart Card Alliance Latin America chapter. "During this time, SCALA has created a unified industry voice and provided essential education to promote smart card technology. We are looking forward to our new Executive Committee leading the way for more progress of the smart card market throughout the region."
SCALA's advisory board is made up of executives from American Express, CHARGE Anywhere LLC, Gemalto, Giesecke & Devrient, MasterCard Worldwide, Oberthur Technologies, Ultra Electronics Card Systems, Unitec Blue, Watchdata Technologies, HID Global, Safran Morpho and Visa International.
The 2013 Smart Card Alliance Member Meeting, being held this week through Dec. 10 in Coral Gables, Fla., is an opportunity for members across many industries to gain perspective on the state of smart card technology in the Americas, as well as to engage with peers in cross-industry discussions on critical technologies and applications affecting the industry. SCALA is leading several sessions during the event including a discussion with Latin American payments networks, an update on Mexico's government ID initiatives, and a briefing on upcoming projects for the organization.
More information about the SCALA can be found at www.sca-la.org.
About the Smart Card Alliance Latin America (SCALA)
The Smart Card Alliance Latino America (SCALA) is a chapter organization of the Smart Card Alliance working to stimulate the use, understanding, adoption and widespread application of smart card technology in Latin America and Caribbean. SCALA achieves its goals through the use of specific projects such as: tri-lingual education programs, market research, advocacy, white papers, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter member organizations connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.
About the Smart Card Alliance
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.