Kigen the global pioneer of eSIM & iSIM technology for Internet of Things manufacturers, announced today the appointment of Stephen Halpenny as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, Stephen will work with Vincent Korstanje, CEO and the company’s newly appointed board of directors, to continue to support the company’s strategic directions for ambitious growth in the next phase.
“eSIM demand is at an all-time high in any industry undergoing rapid transformation – from smart metering to telematics and mobility, and Kigen is well-positioned to support customers tackling with this change,” said Stephen Halpenny, COO, Kigen. “The combined expertise that Kigen brings in telecoms and chip to cloud security is a key differentiator, and a key part of our strategy is hiring world-class talent to help us achieve our goals”.
Previously, Halpenny was Kigen’s Chief Revenue Officer, being responsible for all sales, business development and commercial operations. As a co-founder of Simulity Labs, which was acquired by Arm in 2017 and incubated for pioneering at the leading edge of SIM Technology, Halpenny has played an integral role in the company’s strategy and business development. Halpenny brings more than 20 years of industry and entrepreneurial experience across global businesses. Halpenny will establish a collaborative centre of excellence on operations and customer success at the company’s headquarters in Belfast and in the company’s offices in Noida, India.
Founded as an independent company in 2020, Kigen has quadrupled revenue growth in that period, as digital transformation and security take centre stage in how businesses accelerate growth out of the pandemic. The company has seen 350% growth in the adoption of its eSIM OS which is highly optimized for the specific needs of energy-efficient and battery-reliant connected devices. The business has anchored deals with eight out of the ten largest cellular module makers for its iSIM (Integrated SIM), which offers 98% reduction in silicon size by merging both chip and SIM into a single component. Counterpoint Research’s eSIM Competitive, Ranking & Evaluation Report for 2021 has ranked Kigen in fourth place in its global ranking of eSIM enablement leaders.
This growth has garnered investment from Softbank Vision Fund 2 and the company has appointed Jimi Macdonald, Director at SoftBank Investment Advisers as Chair of Kigen’s Board of Directors. With this investment, Kigen is setting its sights on growth banking on the industry-leading expertise of its global teams attracting the best of the industry. A key part of this growth is Kigen’s Technical Excellence Centre in Noida, India. The company also announced the appointment of Papiya Raipal as Kigen’s Country Director for India starting in June. Papiya brings 20 years of experience within the security sector, most recently at Idemia where she grew technical teams across Noida and Jakarta.
“Establishing Kigen as a new company in the midst of the pandemic has resulted in us thinking differently about how flexibility, inclusivity and high trust are reflected in everything we do,” said Vincent Korstanje, CEO, Kigen. “We grow as individuals and as a company together and Kigen is poised for continued success with our extended leadership team.”