Paul Nizov has joined digital intelligence company ABBYY as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

In this newly established role, Nizov will advocate the importance and impact of security among the company’s leadership team; manage security risk; and oversee the strategic, operational, and budgetary aspects of secure software development, data privacy, and information protection.

“The CISO role is of paramount importance for technology organizations, and we’re excited Paul has joined ABBYY to continue to drive the highest standards of security for SaaS and on-premise deployments of our rapidly growing digital intelligence solutions,” said Ulf Persson, CEO of ABBYY. “The addition of Paul to our team reflects our commitment to provide customers and partners with products and solutions designed, deployed and delivered with state-of-the-art security practices in mind. Information security and data privacy are non-negotiables.”

Nizov brings more than 15 years of technical, legal, and military experience in the United States, Middle East, and Asia. He joins ABBYY from Ernst & Young, where he was the MENA Managing Director of Cybersecurity. During his four years in the Middle East, he worked with and advised Saudi and Emirati clients on establishing cyber security capabilities to combat regional threats. Prior to his time in the region, his work focused on securing critical infrastructure in North America through positions at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Booz Allen Hamilton.

He has built and managed information and cyber security programs in sectors such as energy, finance, healthcare, and technology. He has extensive expertise in regulatory compliance and security frameworks such as NIST, ISO, SOC, HITRUST, HIPAA, and GDPR. Additionally, he has designed and implemented enterprise-wide disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis management, and incident response capabilities.

Nizov holds a Juris Doctor from the SMU Dedman School of Law, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas, and the following information security certifications: CISSP and CISM. Paul is also a U.S. military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Officer. As part of his military service, Nizov graduated from Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina, and Naval Nuclear Prototype in Ballston Spa, New York.

Congratulations!