The Team Behinnd Every Audit
The Team Behinnd Every Audit
The Team Behinnd Every Audit
Decades of proven experience in the payment card industry, compliance, and PCI assessments worldwide.
Nikola Kirov
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Nikola helps payment card organizations prepare for audits, address security gaps and maintain PCI compliance.
His experience includes leading security operations at secure card-production facilities and conducting 300+ assessments worldwide.
As a QSA, CPSA and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, he brings practical insight into both physical and logical security.
Nikola Kirov founded SMC in 2012, bringing 15+ years of executive security leadership in regulated card manufacturing environments.
As former Corporate Director of Security for a major U.S. card production company, he oversaw two secure facilities and led full compliance with Visa and Mastercard requirements.
He holds CPSA, PCIP, ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, and QSA certifications and has conducted 300+ security assessments worldwide.
Larry Brown
Senior Security Assessor - North America
Larry Brown
Senior Security Assessor - North America
Larry brings 30+ years of card manufacturing and personalization experience, including helping nine U.S. facilities achieve payment-brand security compliance.
His expertise covers facility planning, access control, CCTV and security procedures—supporting organizations establishing secure operations or preparing existing sites for certification.
He holds CISM certification and has conducted 200+ audits worldwide.
Larry Brown brings 30+ years of experience in card personalization and manufacturing operations, including five years as a consultant to leading industry organizations.
He has helped design, build, and certify nine U.S. secure card facilities, achieving full Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover compliance.
Since joining SMC in 2013, Larry has conducted 200+ security audits worldwide. He is a CISM-certified professional based in the USA.
Leandro Mercurio
Senior Security Assessor - Latin America
Leandro Mercurio
Senior Security Assessor - Latin America
Mr. Mercurio is a Security Information Specialist with 12+ years of experience in the payment card industry.
As a former compliance manager overseeing two certified sites in Brazil, he maintained full certification for Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and ELO, managing both physical and logical security controls.
Since joining SMC in 2018, he has conducted 100+ PCI CP audits worldwide. He holds CPSA, QSA, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certifications and is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Leandro Mercurio
Lead Security Assessor - Latin America
Leandro specializes in PCI Card Production assessments, drawing on experience managing compliance at two certified sites in Brazil.
His expertise spans physical security, data protection, encryption and key management.
A QSA, CPSA and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor with 100+ PCI CP audits completed, he supports clients in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Stay Compliant. Stay Secure.
Stay Compliant. Stay Secure.
Stay Compliant. Stay Secure.
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