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 Kirov
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Nikola Kirov founded SMC in 2012, bringing over 15 years of executive-level security leadership in regulated card manufacturing environments. He previously served as Corporate Director of Security for a major U.S. card production company, overseeing two secure facilities in Illinois and New Jersey with 350+ personnel and 130,000 square feet of production space.
He led full compliance with Visa and Mastercard security requirements, including physical and logical security systems, and enterprise programs such as incident response and crisis management.
Nikola holds CPSA, PCIP, ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, and QSA certifications, and has conducted 300+ security assessments and audits on behalf of Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express worldwide.
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 Brown brings over 30 years of experience in card personalization and manufacturing operations, including five years as a consultant supporting leading organizations across the card industry. During that time, he helped design, equip, and certify nine U.S. secure card processing facilities, achieving full Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover physical and logical security compliance.
His work included facility planning and construction oversight, implementation of security systems such as access control, intrusion detection, and CCTV, development of required policies and procedures, and direct coordination with card associations throughout the certification process.
Since joining SMC in 2013, Larry has conducted 200+ security audits worldwide. He is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) based in the USA.
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
Lead Security Assessor - Latin America
Leandro Mercurio
Lead Security Assessor - Latin America
Mr. Mercurio is a Security Information Specialist with over 12 years of experience in the payment card industry. As a compliance manager for a certified vendor in Brazil overseeing two certified sites, he developed extensive expertise in Physical and Logical Security Requirements for Card Production Vendors.
He was responsible for maintaining certification for Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and ELO, leading the implementation and maintenance of physical and logical security controls, including access control systems, CCTV, intrusion detection, data protection, network security, encryption, and key management.
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.
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.
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Stay Compliant. Stay Secure.
Stay Compliant. Stay Secure.
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