Jan Andraščík hired for experience in helping protect data and systems from cyber threats — as SatoshiLabs doubles down on empowering people with independent, secure, and private cryptocurrency protection
Prague, 18 May 2022 — SatoshiLabs Group, the holding company behind cryptocurrency innovations such as the world’s first cryptocurrency hardware wallet Trezor, today announces the appointment of Jan Andraščík as Trezor’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
In his role, Andraščík will be responsible for protecting SatoshiLabs’ data, systems and physical security as the company pursues its mission of giving people easy, private and secure tools for the adoption of crypto assets — as a means for individual self-sovereignty.
Andraščík joins Trezor following a career working in information security architecture roles for companies including consultancies Accenture and Deloitte, as well as financial services firms Raiffeisenbank and Česká Spořitelna (Erste Group).
At Raiffeisenbank, Andraščík was deputy to the CISO, and responsible for information security governance, risk management, and compliance. Andraščík is a recognised industry expert and is frequently asked to present at conferences on the subject of national cyber security.
Pavol Rusnák (best known as Stick), who is a co-founder and co-owner of Trezor holding company SatoshiLabs, said: “Jan Andraščík is a highly respected information security leader, and we are fortunate to have him here at SatoshiLabs. Jan’s experience is invaluable as we further enhance our capabilities to protect customers’ data, keep improving our internal security and privacy policies and practices, keeping in mind our main goal – to help people build their own self-sovereignty.”
Jan Andraščík comments: “We live in a world where digital surveillance is becoming increasingly common, and individuals can no longer take privacy for granted. SatoshiLabs is on a mission to restore privacy and control to people when it comes to their financial transactions. It’s a mission that I wholeheartedly believe in, and it’s a privilege for me to help further enhance Trezor’s already excellent, security-first approach to operations and products.”
SatoshiLabs was founded to support and develop projects that lead to the faster adoption of cryptocurrencies, a goal embodied in its flagship product, Trezor. The company philosophy is tightly linked to Bitcoin itself and a strong belief in the merits of open-source technology development – in which developers around the world collaborate to enhance security with transparent, verifiable code and methodologies.
Since its inception nine years ago, SatoshiLabs has been at the forefront of introducing new source code repositories and industry standards, such as BIP39 +BIP44 which are used by all hardware wallets and the majority of software wallets.
Along with Trezor, SatoshiLabs is also a holding company to Invity, which focuses on cryptocurrency services and onboarding to Bitcoin, and Tropic Square, a startup launched in 2020 that is developing the world’s first transparent and auditable chip as a basis for better hardware security.
Pavol Rusnák (Stick) concludes: “Recent exceptional volatility in markets does not shake our long-held belief that Bitcoin is becoming increasingly important in combating an economic environment marked by rocketing inflation, and in protecting people in countries where unreliable regimes weaponise the financial system. Our security is key to our operations and to building trust with our customers. With Jan Andraščík we know we have the right person to protect us and our customers as we set about helping to transform the financial underpinning of the global economy.”
