PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Dec. 18, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the smart card industry continues to move ahead at a rapid pace, cross-industry discussion and collaboration are essential to uncovering new opportunities and overcoming challenges, industry leaders shared at the 2013 Smart Card Alliance Member Meeting. The Member Meeting, held last week in Coral Gables, Fla., brought Alliance members together to get broad perspectives on the state of smart card technology in the Americas, and engage with peers across mobile, payments, transportation, retail, identity and health and human services industries in discussions on critical technologies and applications affecting the industry.
The event, designed exclusively for Smart Card Alliance members, featured special keynote speakers, panel discussions, in-depth breakout sessions organized by the Alliance Industry Councils, as well as networking and social events. The event was also an opportunity for the Smart Card Alliance to celebrate the many achievements of its industry councils and member companies at a special awards gala on Dec. 9.
"The Member Meeting is the only time all year where members representing all of the markets impacted by smart card technology can come together to brief each other on the interesting ways the technology is being adopted within their industries, review the work accomplished over the past year, and collaborate on ways to address common issues in order to continue moving forward," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Members came away from the meeting with a refreshed outlook on how far the smart card industry has come, as well as where it has the potential to go in the future."
Cross-industry discussions were held on topics such as: EMV Status & Challenges; Identity: The NSTIC Approach to Managing Identities and Securing Cyberspace; Transit Open Payments and Mobile Ticketing Initiatives; Biometrics: State of the Industry and Use with Smart Cards and Mobile; Mobile Payments: Alternative Approaches to Mobile Commerce; and Latin America - Payments Council (SCALA): The Perspective of the Financial Networks.
Industry Council Recognition
At the Member Meeting awards gala, the Smart Card Alliance honored the members that have devoted themselves and their time to Smart Card Alliance Industry Council projects by announcing its top Council contributors and Honor Roll for 2013.
The Councils - Access Control, Health and Human Services, Identity, Mobile and NFC, Payments and Transportation - are led by members, with deliverables developed by member volunteers. The Councils have made significant contributions to the smart card industry through publishing education and outreach material for different markets, holding educational events, webinars and workshops on key topics, responding to issues in the media, developing industry comments and positions on key government initiatives, and establishing relationships with other key industry groups.
"All of our Councils' members hold full-time jobs, yet still contribute a significant amount of time and energy to move the smart card industry forward, and for that, we thank our top contributors as well as all of our Council members," said Vanderhoof. "Their dedication and enthusiastic participation in projects have made our Councils a leading resource for education, making a marked difference in the industry."
The Alliance recognized the Council chairs who lead Council strategy and activities and the top contributors for each Council. Individuals recognized were:
- Access Control Council . Chair Lars Suneborn, Oberthur Technologies, and top contributors Salvatore D'Agostino, IDmachines; Steve Rogers, IQ Devices; and Adam Shane, AMAG Technology.
- Health and Human Services Council . Chair Michael Magrath, Gemalto, and top contributors David Batchelor, LifeMed ID, Inc; Hugh Gilenson, ABnote Group; and Mitch Hanson, OTI America.
- Identity Council . Chair Bryan Ichikawa, Deloitte & Touche, and top contributors Salvatore D'Agostino, IDmachines; Frazier Evans, Booz Allen Hamilton; and Neville Pattinson, Gemalto.
- Mobile and NFC Council . Former Chair Brent Bowen, Valid USA, and top contributors Bart van Hoek, UL Transaction Security; Tom Zalewski, CorFire; and Rob Zivney, IDentification Technology Partners.
- Payments Council . Co-Chairs Oliver Manahan, MasterCard and Jack Jania, Gemalto, and top contributors Nancy Baunis, Connexem Consulting; Deborah Baxley, Capgemini USA Inc.; and Mike English, Heartland Payment Systems.
- Transportation Council . Chair Craig Roberts, Utah Transit Authority, and top contributors Amy Linden, MTA New York City Transit; Jerry Kane, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA); and Mike Nash, Xerox.
For more information on Smart Card Alliance Industry Councils, and the complete Council Honor Roll for 2013, visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activi...ition-2013 .
Center of Excellence Organizations
The Smart Card Alliance also awarded organizations with the new Smart Card Alliance Center of Excellence designation at the gala. The member program recognizes an elite mix of member companies who, each year, reach the highest level of active participation in the Alliance by having made outstanding contributions in the form of providing valuable time, talent and resources across a wide mix of Alliance activities.
This year, Center of Excellence recipients are: ABnote; American Express; CPI Card Group; Capgemini USA Inc.; Cubic Transportation Systems; Datacard Group; Deloitte & Touche LLP; Discover Financial Services; First Data; Gemalto; Giesecke & Devrient; HID Global; HP Enterprise Services; LTK Engineering Services; MasterCard; NXP Semiconductors; Oberthur Technologies; SEPTA; Ultra Electronics Card Systems; Visa; Xerox; XTec, Incorporated; VeriFone.
For more information about the Smart Card Alliance and its past year achievements, view the Smart Card Alliance 2013 e-Yearbook which summarizes the programs, products and services offered by the Alliance and its members. It is available at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/public...e-yearbook .
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. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org .
Megan Shamas Montner & Associates Tech PR 203-226-9290
