People in the News

Len Olijar, Director of the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is retiring after more than 34 years with the organisation. He originally joined as a systems accountant, and worked his worth up through the organisation, becoming Chief Financial Officer, then Deputy Director in 2013 and, in 2015, Director. His retirement takes effect 31 January 2023.

The US Treasury is currently working to select his successor, but in the meantime Deputy Director and Chief Administration Office Marty Greiner will serve as Acting Director.

Crane Holdings Co. which is in the process of splitting into two independent, publicly-traded companies, has announced the appointment of Aaron W Saak to the position of President and CEO of Crane NXT, the new business that will be formed from the existing Payment and Merchandising Technologies business unit which incorporates Crane Currency and Crane Payment Innovation. He previously served as President and CEO of Mobility Solutions and President of Gilbarco Veeder-Root (GVR), a subsidiary of Vontier Corporation, a global technology leader in retail fuelling systems, payment technology, and related solutions.

The separation of the companies is proceeding to plan, according to Crane Co, and is on track to be concluded in April 2023.

The Board of Directors of Hunkeler Systeme, the Swiss-based developer of waste and banknote destruction systems, has appointed Erich Hodel as the company’s new CEO with effect from the beginning of 2023. He has been with Hunkeler Systeme for more than 20 years, for the last seven years as Director of Marketing. Long-time CEO Kurt Käser will remain in the business as Chairman of the Board of Directors and major shareholder and will devote himself to strategic issues.

The International Association for Currency Affairs (IACA) has elected two new members to its Board – Octavia Gibson, Currency and Payments Oversight Department for the Central Bank of Barbados, and Pearl Kgalegi, Head of Department, Currency Management for South African Reserve Bank.

At its recent AGM, the International Currency Association (ICA) elected Gianni Santoro of SICPA as the new Chair and Ruth Euling of De La Rue as Vice Chair. They replace Wolfram Seidemann of Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology and Eric Boissonnas of Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions, who have who have held the positions of Chair and Vice Chair since 2018 and 2016 respectively and who remain on the Board. Sam Keayes of Crane Currency, who was elected to the Board in 2021, remains the Treasurer.

Shaun Ferrari, Vice President and Director of Currency Research since 2017, is leaving the organisation to take up a position with the Digital Dollar Project as its Director of Industry Engagement and Research Operations. Before joining Currency Research, he spent 16 years at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, where he was appointed Assistant Director in 2013 with responsibility for the global issuance of US currency and operations of Reserve Bank cash processing centres.

The Digital Dollar Project is a non-profit organisation created to encourage research and public discussion on the potential advantages and challenges of a US CBDC – or a 'digital dollar.'