PCI SECURITY STANDARDS COUNCIL EXPANDS ROLE OF PAYMENT SECURITY PROFESSIONAL NITIN BHATNAGAR TO STRENGTHEN CYBERSECURITY IN MIDDLE EAST

— Bhatnagar to Lead Middle East Outreach Efforts in Addition to India and South Asia —

WAKEFIELD, Mass., April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global standards body for the payment card industry, has expanded the role of Nitin Bhatnagar to lead its Middle East outreach efforts, in addition to India and South Asia, to educate and promote the importance of the PCI Security Standards within the region. Bhatnagar will serve as Regional Director and will be responsible for driving awareness and adoption of the PCI Security Standards for payment data security in the Middle East. Bhatnagar will work closely with key stakeholders, including regulators, acquirers, law enforcement, and others, across the Middle East payment ecosystem.

"We are delighted to expand Nitin's role to lead our efforts in this important market," said Jeremy King, Regional VP EMEA of the PCI Security Standards Council. "Nitin's wealth of experience in information security driving PCI SSC adoption in India and South Asia, makes him the ideal person to be leading our efforts to promote good, sound payment security within the Middle East."

"I am thrilled to have this exciting opportunity and look forward to continuing my work in the cybersecurity space with the PCI Security Standards Council," said Nitin Bhatnagar. "The Middle East has been a very encouraging region for us in terms of participation, with the biggest financial institution in the UAE, Bank Mashreq, the largest international airline in the world, Emirates, and the Saudi Payments Network, a major payment system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, all contributing to and influencing global payment data security standards."

"Nitin brings a wealth of industry relationships and knowledge to the PCI SSC," said Gina Gobeyn, Executive Director of the PCI Security Standards Council. "Nitin will play a key role in our continued focus on engaging payment industry professionals under our new and expanded governance structure. Nitin has a unique understanding of the data security needs in the Middle East and his expertise will be an asset to the Council."  

Nitin holds a postgraduate in MS Cyber Laws & Information Security from the prestigious Indian Institute of Information Technology – Allahabad and enjoys spending free time with his family.

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 X (formerly Twitter) @PCISSC. Subscribe to the PCI Perspectives Blog. Listen to the Coffee with the Council podcast.

Media Contact:
Alicia Malone 
PCI Security Standards Council
+1-781-876-8917
press@pcisecuritystandards.org 
Twitter @PCISSC

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