Mark Courtney joins cifas as new Chief Product Officer

• Former GBG and TruNarrative Head of Product brings over sixteen years of experience to the role

Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, has appointed Mark Courtney as Chief Product Officer.

Mark has a wealth of expertise in fraud, identity verification and identity assurance, having worked globally across multiple sectors in the space. In his role at Cifas, he will work with the team to develop its existing product suite, as well as build future propositions for new and existing markets.

Mark joins Cifas after almost two decades in key industry roles. During his 16 years at GBG, he led the product management team for its identity verification suite, managing the launch of the industry’s first truly electronic identity verification (EIDV) service in 2004. He went on to become the General Manager, running both the Identity Verification and Identity Assurance divisions. For the last two and a half years before joining Cifas, Mark held the position of Head of Product and Engineering for TruNarrative, playing a key role in positioning the start-up organisation as a significant presence in the industry.

Mark Courtney said: ‘Since joining Cifas – and getting under the skin of the company – I’ve been really impressed with the incredibly high quality of its services as well as the dedication and skill of its people. There is a commitment and drive to constantly evolve our services to members as well as the wider industry, and a real dedication from all levels to ensure our products are indispensable in fighting fraud and financial crime. I’m excited to have this opportunity help Cifas maintain its position at the forefront of the industry.”

Mike Haley, Chief Executive Officer of Cifas, said: ‘Mark brings a wealth and depth of experience from his time at GBG and TruNarrative. I’m delighted he is now bringing his expertise to an already highly-skilled team and believe his appointment demonstrates the positive direction Cifas is headed in. We are perpetually looking for ways to innovate and pioneer new products and services to protect our members and consumers from fraud and financial crime. Having Mark on board will be a key part of that.’

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About Cifas

Cifas exists to prevent fraud and financial crime. We are an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation that protects businesses and individuals through effective and secure data and intelligence sharing between the private, public and third sectors. In 2017, Cifas member organisations prevented over £1.3 billion of fraud losses.

Cifas data is included in the Office of National Statistics England and Wales Crime Statistics of police recorded crime and works alongside law enforcement agencies in tackling fraud. Cifas also offers Protective Registration for individuals whose identities are at risk of being used fraudulently, for instance after a burglary. We also run a scheme called Protecting the Vulnerable, offered free of charge to local authorities to protect those under the care of Court Deputies who are unable to access financial products and whose identities may be at risk.

Contact us at press@cifas.org.uk