I help banks, fintechs and public sector organisations design digital journeys that are secure, compliant and user-friendly – without losing sight of business impact.
Whether you are defining a new identity strategy, looking into the EU Digital Identity Wallet, launching a fintech product, or modernising legacy systems, I help you align technology choices with regulation, risk and business goals.
Make identity a capability, not a collection of projects.
Clarify where identity and authentication sit in your overall architecture, which standards and trust frameworks to lean on, and how to avoid locking yourself into short-lived solutions.
Help profiling your brand.
I will help you with your external messaging and presentations, joining events and webinar, and interact with analyst, to help you make your brand known in the market.
Bring your team along on the journey.
Tailored workshops, leadership briefings and conference-style talks that make complex topics such as eIDAS, eKYC and trust frameworks approachable.
I use storytelling to change how people think about trust, identity, and technology. With a foundation in digital identity, fraud prevention, and AI – and decades spent building enterprise software for global markets – I’ve learned that real change happens when people understand, not just when systems work.
John Erik has spent over 40 years in software, digital identity, and security — starting back in the days when e-mail ran on X.400 and nobody said “cloud” with a straight face. He helped build products that became SAP IdM, drove international growth and analyst relations at Signicat, and now works across identity, fraud, and AI.
He’s presented on stages around the world, advised global organizations, and even managed to guide a number of students through their bachelor, master, and PhD theses without scaring them off technology entirely. Today he runs Setsaas Trust Advisory, helping companies make sense of identity, fraud, and AI — ideally with fewer buzzwords and more common sense.
My goal is to make complex technology meaningful: helping others see patterns, challenge assumptions, and connect the dots between regulation, innovation, and human behavior.
Through talks, blogs, podcasts, and panels, I bring new perspectives that spark curiosity and confidence. My style blends technical insight, international experience, and a touch of humor, because people remember ideas that make them smile.
Whether in a boardroom, on stage, or in conversation, I aim to inspire understanding and turn technology into something people can believe in.
I've has been in the software industry since 1984 — long enough to remember when “the cloud” was just something that ruined your picnic. I started at Norsk Data as a developer, building enterprise e-mail systems based on X.400 and SMTP. When Norsk Data went bankrupt in 1989, I helped start Notis to keep the technology alive, and soon found myself working with X.500 directory services, security, and electronic signing. (Yes, eSignatures really have been around that long.)
My journey into digital identity began in 1995 with a project for Sweden Post while at MaXware. The challenge was to build a corporate X.500 directory and synchronize customer data into it — a solution that later became a full product delivered to global organizations such as Nokia, British Telecom, US Air Force, and the Australian Defence Force. When SAP acquired MaXware in 2007, the product evolved into SAP IdM, with me as lead architect.
In 2015 I joined Signicat as VP of Identity & Innovation. The job blended internationalization, brand building, analyst relations, and presenting at conferences around the world. I also fed insights from the market back into product development. During his eight years there, Signicat grew from about 40 people to more than 500—something I like to claim was not entirely his fault.
Since 2023, I have worked at Tietoevry Banking as Director of Innovation for Financial Crime Prevention, again helping with internationalization and continuing his habit of appearing on stages around the world. I also contributed to expert communities such as Mobey Forum and The Payments Association.
On the academic side, I've spent several years as an assistant professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and has supervised a long list of bachelor, master, and PhD students—most of whom survived.
In October 2025, I founded Setsaas Trust Advisory, where I help organizations sharpen their messaging and strategy on digital identity, fraud, and AI, while trying not to spend too much time telling jokes about computing in the "old days", and that my first modem was 50 bits/second.
Not sure exactly what you need yet? That’s fine. In a short conversation we can map your challenges and see whether I’m the right person to help – or point you in a better direction.