ATLANTA: Pindrop Security, a provider of phone fraud prevention and call center authentication, has named Ken Shuman head of global communications.
Shuman stepped into the newly created role on January 2 and reports to Pindrop’s VP of marketing Matt Anthony. He will work from his home in the San Francisco Bay area for the Atlanta, Georgia-headquartered startup.
Shuman is tasked with leading Pindrop’s comms team as the company continues to grow its global footprint. Currently, the company has 10 employees in the UK and one in Latin America. Shuman said he expects a pan-Asian presence by the end of next year.
He will also build out his own team, as Pindrop does not already have a communications infrastructure.
"It’s hard to inherit an infrastructure, and this is a blank canvas, so an attractive proposition," Shuman told PRWeek.
Phone fraud is a growing problem. Financial institutions lost $20 billion to fraud over the phone last year, so three out of the top four banks are now working with Pindrop to help stop it, Shuman said.
He added that there is "no denying" that voice location is the security of the future, as entities in Silicon Valley have jumped in to support and fund five-year-old Pindrop. On Thursday, for instance, Pindrop announced a Series C funding of $75 million, led by Google Capital along with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Institutional Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, and Felicis Ventures.
"[Phone fraud] is a huge problem that no one knows about yet," Shuman said. "I get to help develop a narrative and story and the education campaign that this is happening. And that’s a challenge and an opportunity."
Shuman has 20 years of communications experience, working with some of the biggest names in consumer and enterprise technology. Prior to joining Pindrop, Shuman was VP of communications at NerdWallet.
Previously, he spent six years as VP of communications at Trulia, where he helped lead communications for the company as it transitioned from a start-up to a public entity. Shuman’s key role in the real estate site’s growth helped earn him a spot as one of PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 honorees in 2013.
He has also worked for Horn Group, Bite Communications, Text100, Access Communications, and Fitzgerald Communications.
