Joseph Atick, Founder and Chairman, Identity Counsel International; Co-founder and Chairman, ID4Africa

Dr. Atick is a recognized worldwide expert on identity matters, having been one of the founders of the identity industry more than 25 years ago, where he had led several companies in the space and developed some of the foundational algorithms underlying secure digital identity today. He retired from the industry in 2010 and founded the Identity Counsel International, to focus on helping nations, especially in developing countries, and international organizations understand the positive impact of digital identity in socioeconomic, political development and national security. He has been a strong advocate of privacy and responsible use of identity technology for the common good. He is the director Emeritus of the International Biometrics and Identification Association, which he co-founded in 1998 in Washington, DC, to provide responsible use guidance to the industry and to policy makers. He has an active ongoing partnership with the World Bank, on identity matters and has participated in a large number of identity missions. He is the co-founder of ID4Africa, an annual pan-African forum on digital identity and its applications in Africa.

Dr. Atick earned a Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics from Stanford University.