Equifax Inc., the credit-reporting firm that landed in congressional sights after a data breach that exposed personal data for nearly half the country, has has named a new technology chief who will oversee information security.
Bryson Koehler will join Equifax after serving as the chief technology officer of IBM’s Watson and Cloud Computing Platform. He is the second C-suite executive to join Equifax in the last several months; Mark Begor, a former executive at Warbug Pincus, took over for interim Chief Executive Officer Paulino do Rego Barros in March.
Koehler will play a critical role in strengthening Equifax’s data security as the company looks to rebuild its reputation after the theft of identification data for more than 145 million people.
“We are excited to welcome Bryson to our senior leadership team as we continue to invest heavily in data security and enhance our information technology infrastructure,” Begor said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have a leader of Bryson’s caliber joining Equifax at such a pivotal time in our history.”
The Equifax breach, occurring after the company failed to repair a software vulnerability despite a warning from the Department of Homeland Security, prompted swift reactions from the both the House and Senate, where committees held hearings with Richard Smith, who was CEO when the theft occurred.
In February, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called for stricter cybersecurity standards for credit reporting agencies like Equifax.
Lawmakers have continued to focus on data security in the private sector this year after reports showed Cambridge Analytica, a consultant on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, improperly harvested personal data from millions of Facebook users.
Koehler will be tasked with leading Equifax’s global information technology development and strategy. While at IBM, he helped move the company from mainframes to cloud computing. He was also the chief technology officer at The Weather Channel Companies before the firm’s purchase by IBM in 2015.
Equifax climbed 0.6 percent to $125.84 in New York trading on Thursday. The shares have gained 6.7 percent this year.
