GeoComply hires Silicon Valley veteran as CTO

Vancouver-based geolocation specialist GeoComply has appointed former Meta director of engineering Vadim Jelezniakov as its new chief technology officer (CTO).

Jelezniakov will be responsible for driving the company's technology strategy and overseeing the development of new products and services.

He brings over 20 years of experience building and managing reliable and scalable technology platforms, and previously served as the executive director of digital infrastructure and engineering at the New York Times. He also had spells as senior manager of software engineering for both Amazon and Google.

“We are thrilled to have Vadim join our team,” said GeoComply co-founder and chief executive Anna Sainsbury. “With his impressive track record of innovation and leadership in the technology industry, I am very confident that he will help us continue to grow and stay ahead of the competition.”

Commenting on his appointment, Jelezniakov said: “I am so excited to join GeoComply and work with such a talented and dedicated, industry-leading team.

“My goal is to help drive innovation and growth in new and existing market verticals by leveraging new technologies and developing products and services that meet the evolving needs of our customers. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to scale a market-leading company.”

In related news, GeoComply has agreed to fund a two-year research project for the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG).

The grant will fund studies on the long-term effectiveness of voluntary self-exclusion programs used by online and land-based gambling operators.

ICRG president Arthur Paikowsky believes that additional research to assess the prolonged efficacy of voluntary self-exclusion programs is required.

“There is a necessity to determine whether enhancing these programs would result in more customer participation and whether this would be beneficial,” he said.

Sainsbury added: “We need more data to support the industry’s actions around RG, and I am really happy that we can support the ICRG’s research in this important area. We have been committed to responsible gambling initiatives since forming GeoComply over a decade ago.”