Vice president, head of cyber security Asia Pacific and Global Services
Given the barrage of health and economic threats over the past year, it's easy to miss the growing specter of digital crime. Luckily for Fiserv, Tiffany Rusin has not missed anything.
As vice president and head of cyber security for Asia Pacific and Global Services, Rusin is responsible for information security for the diverse and highly-wired markets in the APAC region. Her responsibilities span encryption, data loss prevention, identity and access management.
In less than two years, Rusin has contributed to more than $100 million in loss mitigation — or funds that didn't wind up in the crooks' hands or floating around places like the Dark Web — while providing a strong hand to support continuity and a network that processes more than 12,000 transactions per second.
That performance comes along with the rush to digital payments that came during lockdown. The pandemic's remote, automated culture is a candy store for internet crooks who want a weak link to
"COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how businesses operate, the ways we work and live, and how we interact and depend on technology," said the Singapore-based Rusin, who has been in her current role since 2018 and at Fiserv for about six years. "This shift has brought a heightened need for cybersecurity and technology that is robust, resilient, secure and scalable."
Remote work has created a fresh set of vulnerabilities that stack on top of an already considerable amount of security risk for e-commerce.
"By focusing on strengthening digital assets and protecting our digital footprint...we increased our security while giving our business a competitive edge," Rusin said. "This is critical for the continuity of business, the clients we support and success of our bottom line."
Tiffany displays all the qualities of a true, inclusive thought leader in all things cyber and digital payments, and is widely respected across the organization.
Under the hood, Rusin and her team have been improving cyber hygiene built on vulnerability remediation,
Rusin actively participates in conversations around strategy to ensure not just a clean cyber environment but success with the firm's strategic roadmap in the region, said Ivo Distelbrink, executive vice president and head of Asia Pacfic for Fiserv. "Tiffany displays all the qualities of a true, inclusive thought leader in all things cyber and digital payments, and is widely respected across the organization," Distelbrink said.
While her career's in the early stages, Rusin has accumulated valuable experience and established a strong record in digital security. In her prior role as Cyber Threat & Intelligence (CTI) program Director at Fiserv, she led a team that was recognized by law enforcement for providing intelligence that led to arrests of the FIN7 cyber criminal group, also known as Carbanak Group.
And prior to joining Fiserv, Rusin spent five years working at K2 Intelligence, a specialized investigative, compliance, and cyber defense services firm. Her work included a securities/bankruptcy case and a top-tier law firm engagement involving a decade-long $4.26 billion global asset recovery. She has conducted more than 65 investigations involving fraud, bribery, corruption, money laundering, and data security.
Rusin leads about ten people as part of her current team. Given the team's stellar results, her responsibilities are sure to grow in the future.
"Aspiring leaders should be passionate about shaping a vision that is compelling and translates into a clear strategy about what actions to take, and what not to do," Rusin said. "By focusing on measurable results, fostering innovation and creating a safe workplace, we can achieve success while invoking the brain’s higher capacity for creativity, integrity and ambition."
Nominating executive:
Ivo Distelbrink
EVP, head of Asia Pacific, Fiserv
What he says:
"In addition to Rusin's experience, knowledge and subject matter expertise related to cyber security, she actively participates in conversations around strategy to ensure not just a clean cyber environment but success with the firm's strategic roadmap in the region. Tiffany displays all the qualities of a true, inclusive thought leader in all things cyber and digital payments, and is widely respected across the organization."
