Biometrics Specialist Daon Appoints New VP of Emerging Markets

A former CBP executive is Daon‘s new VP of Emerging Markets, the company has announced.

Ari Schuler joins the company from a position as the Director of the US Customs and Border Protection agency’s Innovation Team, which sought to leverage technology development practices from Silicon Valley to bring new solutions into the CBP’s operations. This included working with startups on technologies for “seamless travel” at border checkpoints, drones, sensors, and AI; as well as the establishment of partnerships with universities, venture capital firms, and other private sector companies.

It’s a position Schuler held from May of 2018 to December of 2019. Before that, he acted as a Senior Advisor on IT and innovation for the CBP’s Office of the Commissioner from January of 2018 to March of 2018, and as the Analytics Integration Director for the CBP before that, starting in November of 2015. He has also held previous positions with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate; Raydiance, a laser technology company at which he was Government Initiatives Director; the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC; and Booz Allen Hamilton.

In a statement announcing Schuler’s appointment with Daon, the company highlighted his “unique blend of innovation experience in both the public and private sectors,” with CEO Tom Grissen commenting that he expects Schuler to be “a tremendous asset to our efforts in opening new market verticals.”

Daon made a strong reputation as one of the leading pioneers of biometric authentication through its IdentityX platform, which was embraced by a number of financial services firms as a means of letting customers log into their mobile accounts through a face, fingerprint, or even voice scan. But Schuler’s appointment is the latest signal that Daon may be placing a stronger focus on targeting the government sector, after the company announced John Sanders as its new President of Emerging Markets last September; Sanders had served in high-level positions with the DHS, the CBP, and Pramantha Solutions, a government focused data intelligence firm.

Commenting on his own appointment, Schuler said, “Daon has a world-leading product, a top-notch team, and it is uniquely positioned to be a critical enabler of authentication and verification. I am excited to join this team and leverage my experience in deploying innovative technologies into complex business operations.”

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January 22, 2020 – by Alex Perala