Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and issuance technology solutions, today announced that Karen Kaukol has been named Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the company. In her new role, Kaukol is responsible for leading the global marketing strategy and execution for the company. Kaukol is based in both the company’s global headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn and its Denver, Colo. location.
“I’m pleased to appoint Karen chief marketing officer for Entrust Datacard,” said Todd Wilkinson, president and CEO for Entrust Datacard. “Since joining the company in 2016 as vice president of our instant issuance portfolio of solutions, Karen has proven herself as an astute marketer and leader. While leading instant issuance, Karen built increased momentum within the product portfolio, drove net new logo acquisition and brought to market new solutions that better meet the changing needs of the financial and payment industries.”
Prior to joining Entrust Datacard, Kaukol served as CMO for Graebel Relocation, where she led sales enablement, market research, event marketing, the company’s new customer acquisition and customer retention programs, as well as a corporate rebranding effort and new website development. She also spent 17 years at First Data, most recently serving as senior vice president of global marketing as the company went through the process to become a publicly traded company. During her time at First Data, she led the launch and demand gen activities for a portfolio of products that included mobile payments, cybersecurity, analytics, loyalty, e-gift, and the company’s token service provider (TSP) platform. She was also responsible for channel and partner marketing, working closely with some of the world’s largest banks and retailers.
Wilkinson continued, “Karen’s previous experience coupled with her deep understanding of our organization, our solutions and our markets will allow her to drive successful marketing programs that will continue to grow our global market share in a competitive marketplace.”
In addition to her work as a marketer, Kaukol is a certified product developer who has launched a number of payment, e-commerce and risk management solutions. Kaukol is also co-inventor of a patent for prepaid card delivery system design.