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Columbia Bank said April 26 that Kojo-Darko Nanakoufie was appointed chief information security officer within the Risk Management department.

In his new role, Nanakoufie will serve as the compliance officer and subject matter expert for the bank’s information security and cybersecurity programs. Additionally, he will manage Columbia’s Incident Response Team and be responsible for increasing cybersecurity awareness throughout the institution.

“Since joining Columbia Bank in September 2018 as a senior network security engineer, Kojo-Darko has shown tremendous leadership in our security function,” said Thomas Kemly, president and chief executive officer of Fair Lawn-based Columbia Bank. “His extensive expertise will allow us to expand our ongoing commitment to keeping our customers’ information secure while addressing the ever-changing technology needs and cybersecurity requirements. We look to Kojo-Darko leading the effort in these vital areas.”

Nanakoufie has more 12 years of experience in information security, working most recently for S&P Global as a global information security manager and senior information security engineer for New York State Teachers’ Retirement System.

He is certified in information security, cybersecurity, data privacy, IT service management, and ethical hacking.