PPLSI, the parent company of LegalShield and IDShield, and a champion of equal access to justice and security, proudly announce the growth of its leadership team. Several new positions continue to drive toward transforming the 49-year-old company into the legal and privacy management enterprise of the future.
PPLSI has experienced over 50 percent growth in the last three years, and more than 2.5 million new memberships within the last five years. To foster continued growth and innovation, PPLSI has invested in expanding its leadership team to include a suite of first-ever positions, including Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Senior Vice President of Software Development and Engineering, and Senior Vice President of Data Engineering.
“These talented professionals have already made an invaluable imprint within the organization, and we are rapidly expanding our capabilities to develop and deploy industry redefining software for our members and our law firm partners,” said Arnold Blinn, chief technology officer of PPLSI.
Executive hires include:
Kurt Bulawa, Vice President of Strategic Business Development and Product Strategy, joined September 2021: Bulawa oversees the development and execution of PPLSI M&A, partnership, and product strategy divisions with experience across North America, Asia, and Europe. Bulawa has served in leadership roles within major corporations including Motorola, Western Union, Walmart, and Kaiser Permanente. Bulawa holds six U.S. patents with nine additional patents pending.
William Li, Senior Vice President of Data Engineering, joined August 2021: Li is driving the data vision for the company and oversees all business data flows and integrations with external partners. Prior to joining PPLSI, Li was Vice President of Engineering at Marchex. He has also led engineering teams in Microsoft, DoubleClick in product development, big data, and AI space.
Peter Kim, Vice President of Marketing Operations, joined June 2021: Kim is a key operational leader critical in bringing PPLSI’s world class brands to life. He’s responsible for the marketing team’s ability to scale growth and transform operations and strategy that touches all facets of marketing. Kim oversees the key areas of management and brand strategy including full-frontal (brand, social and performance) advertising; digital experience and brand identity; business planning and operations; productivity; and strategy & planning. Prior, Kim spent six years with GoDaddy as Senior Director for Global Brand & GoDaddy Studios and as the Director of Executive Communications.
Jason Meltzer, Vice President of Software Engineering, joined February 2021: Meltzer oversees experiences around commerce and products used by group administrators and associates serving members and customers. Meltzer previously served as Vice President of Engineering at Creative Market and has been in the software engineering industry for nearly two decades.
Robert Lacy, Vice President of Development Operations and Security and CISO, joined July 2020: Lacy oversees the overall information security posture for the company, and is at the confluence of people, process, and technology. His role is responsible for ensuring security and reliability standards are in place allowing engineers to innovate freely and deliver best-in-class products and services. Before joining PPLSI, Lacy was a distinguished Security Architect for Charles Schwab overseeing the digital transformation efforts of $14.3 trillion in assets. Lacy has also managed technical security and compliance at Amazon, Amazon Web Services, and GoDaddy.
Gerald Hinson, Senior Vice President of Engineering, joined July 2020: Hinson oversees product engineering and project management for all PPLSI external products, including apps and web portals. Previously, Hinson was Vice President of Engineering at GoDaddy and has also worked at Microsoft and AT&T. He is the founder and creator of the gaming company, Righteous Tales.
Pat Patterson, CIO, joined February 2020: As CIO, Patterson is improving IT operations and infrastructure, delivering products and solutions for LegalShield and IDShield, and continuing to advance data protections and cybersecurity measures for employees, members, and customers. Before joining PPLSI, Patterson served as CIO at Orora Visual and throughout his career, has focused on using technology to improve business operations having served in key roles with MedAssets and Equifax.
“We are transforming from a sales company with call centers to a services company powered by great technology and exceptional leaders,” said Jeff Bell, CEO of PPLSI. “These positions are key in our passion and focus to make life better for every person with our innovative and disruptive services. Their powerful backgrounds are a perfect fit to help us further our vision and mission.”
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About PPLSI
A champion of equal access to justice and security, PPLSI has provided individuals, families, businesses, and employers with the tools and services needed to live a just and secure life for 49 years. Under PPLSI, our consumer brand, LegalShield, is disrupting the legal services industry by giving everyone the resources and tools to affordably find their justice. We are transforming the traditional way of receiving legal guidance and services and providing qualified, trusted attorneys and law firms in the palm of your hands. Our security brand, IDShield, specializes in privacy and reputation management and protects your online data and information. To learn more about PPLSI and our brands and products that currently improve and empower 4.5 million individuals and 140,000 businesses across North America, visit PPLSI.com, LegalShield.com and IDShield.com.