Entersekt appoints Clare Conway as Chief Executive Officer

Entersekt has appointed Clare Conway as Chief Executive Officer, while Founder Schalk Nolte has moved into the role of Founder and Board Member.

The leadership change comes as the financial authentication software company serves more than 1,100 financial institutions worldwide.

Conway succeeds Nolte after serving as Chief Operating Officer, where she helped strengthen Entersekt's operating model. She has more than 25 years of experience in technology businesses, including senior roles at Partnerize, Clavis Insight and Ascential.

Nolte, who led the company for 17 years, will remain involved in strategy, market insight and innovation in his board role. The handover marks a shift from founder-led management to a new executive structure as Entersekt expands internationally.

Entersekt develops software used by banks and other financial institutions to prevent fraud in digital banking and payment transactions. It employs more than 250 people, operates in more than 70 countries and processes billions of transactions for banks, merchants and cardholders.

The appointment comes amid rising fraud and scam activity in financial services. Entersekt cited industry research showing that seven in ten adults globally had encountered a scam in the previous 12 months, while 13% had faced one at least once a day.

Operational Focus

Having joined the senior leadership team before taking the Chief Executive Officer role, Conway will lead the company with a focus on operational discipline and international scale in its next phase. She also holds an MSc in Business Analytics from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Her appointment follows a period of growth for Entersekt, which is backed by Accel-KKR. The company also expanded its payments security business through the acquisition of the Modirum 3-D Secure software unit.

The deal strengthened Entersekt's position in authentication technology for financial services, adding to a portfolio of more than 120 patents. Founded in 2010, the company has built its business around software that verifies users and secures digital transactions across banking and payments channels.

In her first comments after the appointment, Conway pointed to Entersekt's position in financial services and the opportunity ahead.

"It is a privilege to take on the leadership of Entersekt at such an exciting point in its journey. Under Schalk's leadership, Entersekt has built an outstanding reputation for innovation, customer partnership and trust in the financial services industry. We have a strong foundation, a talented global team and a significant opportunity ahead of us. I am excited to lead the team to build on our success and drive the next phase of growth," said Clare Conway, Chief Executive Officer, Entersekt.

Nolte said his new role would allow him to focus on longer-term issues affecting the company and the wider sector.

"Leading Entersekt as Chief Executive Officer for the past 17 years has been a great privilege. I'm not stepping back-I'm stepping forward into a role where I can focus on the opportunities that will define our next decade: AI, regulation, product innovation and our strategic relationships with customers and partners. Clare is the right leader for Entersekt's next phase, and I'm excited to continue building the future of this company alongside her," said Schalk Nolte.