Nine months after breach, Equifax names IBM executive as new tech chief

ATLANTA -- Equifax has named an IBM executive as chief technology officer.

Bryson Koehler, previously top technology executive at IBM Watson and Cloud Platform, will be responsible "for leading Equifax's global information technology strategy and development," the company said in a statement.

Bryson replaces Mark Rohrwasser, interim chief information officer, who will return to his former position as CIO for the Equifax international business unit, according to a spokeswoman for the company. Rohrwasser became interim CIO in September, shortly after the company announced a massive data breach.

In that breach, hackers gained access to an enormous about of consumer data.

According to papers filed by the Atlanta-based company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and several congressional committees, the data accessed included more than 146 million names and dates of birth, as well as nearly the same number of Social Security numbers. Also accessed were 99 million addresses, more than 20 million phone numbers and nearly 18 million driver's license numbers.

Several executives retired or resigned in the wake of the announcement -- including the Rick Smith, the company's chief executive. Company officials also faced fierce questioning before Congress, although no disciplinary action has yet been taken.

Another executive was indicted for insider trading.

A new CEO, Mark Begor, was named in March.

On Thursday, he praised Koehler.

"Bryson is known for his deep technical and cloud skills, consistent, focused, and strong performance within the industry, and for being a creative problem solver who has achieved business goals by leveraging the innovative use of technology," Begor said in a statement.

Prior to working at IBM, Koehler was chief technology and information officer at The Weather Channel Cos.

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