Blockchain asset exchange platform ShapeShift announced the appointment of Michael Perklin as Chief Information Security Officer, who will be responsible overseeing the exchange platform's information security architecture.

Michael Perklin has more than a decade of experience in performing digital forensic examinations, cyber investigations, and incident response post-mortems. His responsibilities at ShapeShift also include ensuring the operation of all of the company's services with the best-practices in blockchain operational security.

“Michael Perklin has pioneered the standardization of security-related best practices in the industry. He’s a talented individual of immense character and happens to be one of the world’s foremost blockchain security experts. We couldn’t be more pleased to have someone of his caliber joining the team,” Erik Voorhees, CEO of ShapeShift, stated.

Michael is established in the bitcoin and blockchain ecosystem in 2012 when he launched Canada's first blockchain consultancy practice – Bitcoinsultants. He also helped co-author the CryptoCurrency Security Standard and his work has secured hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin, Ether, and other cryptocurrencies. He serves on the boards of CryptoCurrency Certification Consortium (C4) and The Bitcoin Foundation, and he has testified about Bitcoin at the Canadian Senate's Committee on Banking, Trade, and Commerce.

“I’m excited to join ShapeShift due to their constant innovation in the blockchain space. Their non-custodial exchange has proven that customers are safer when their user information and assets are not collected or stored,” Michael stated. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be joining such a bright, talented team with forward-thinking new technologies on the horizon.”

Michael served as the head of Security and Investigative Services at Ledger Labs, where he focused on ensuring whether its clients' blockchain solutions have the highest level of security possible across the entire information system. He was also the director of Bitcoin Alliance of Canada and is a prolific speaker on blockchain and security, addressing both technical and non-technical audiences.

Michael worked with ShapeShift during the company’s April 2016 security breach, where he conducted the investigation and authored the subsequent post-mortem report. His successful investigation led the company to regain its services and secure its platform and re-launched its exchange services the following month.

“When ShapeShift was hacked in Spring of 2016, we worked with Michael to audit and investigate. His expertise was matched only by our enthusiasm for working alongside him. Following the investigation, he decided to invest in ShapeShift, and we’re thrilled to now bring him on board full-time as CISO,” Voorhees added.