Earnin Appoints Stan Lee as CISO

(US and Canada) Earnin, the leader in building products for a more equitable financial system, has announced the appointment of Stan Lee as its first chief information security officer (CISO). With a focus on consumer protection, Lee will manage and adapt Earnin’s security solutions. He will address growing cybersecurity and mobile risks, strengthening Earnin’s mission of providing consumers with more choices for balancing their finances and controlling their money from the day they are paid. 

Lee’s 25-year career as a technologist spans multiple industry sectors, including financial services, cybersecurity, silicon design, telecommunications, biotechnology, and education. His prior roles include leading security solutions at PayPal, Intuit, and the University of California campuses. He also worked for Palo Alto Networks, where he was head of security architecture and product security during its hyper-growth period. During Lee’s tenure, he developed the company’s first security organization, enabling the company to expand into cloud-based services.

Lee’s team is focused on safeguarding trust with community members and employers through the protection of customer data while remaining a strategic partner in Earnin’s overall business growth.

“Stan brings unique experience to Earnin from his tenure as head of security strategy and architecture at PayPal, where he led the vision for the architecture of security solutions in alignment with business objectives,” says Ram Palaniappan, Earnin founder and CEO. “While much of the tech sector is contracting, Earnin is continuing on our growth trajectory, and Stan has a proven track record of developing competitive advantage through strengthening security programs and strategies for hyper-growth companies. We’re excited to continue to innovate within this rapidly changing industry and redefine what earned wage access and financial equity mean for everyday Americans, with full confidence that consumer security will be paramount.”

As CISO, Lee will manage cybersecurity risks and work to align Earnin’s security strategy with its product and business strategies.

“It takes a lot of planning and intentional actions to scale security within an organization growing this quickly, and we are prioritizing the strength of Earnin’s security organization to protect customers and safeguard the information they share with us,” Lee says. “Our team ensures that we have a proactive cybersecurity strategy that continues to build on the trust we’ve earned with our community members and allows Earnin to deliver product excellence and category innovation in the earned wage access space.”