What is your name and job?
My name is Jonathan Drover, and I am the Director of Digital Identity at 2Keys, a subsidiary of Interac Corp.
What does a typical day at 2Keys, a subsidiary of Interac Corp., look like for you?
On a typical day I wake up with my kids, make a smoothie, get my son to daycare and come back to clear my emails and get ready for the day. Then my day is typically split up into 3 parts:
- Supporting our clients and delivering on solutions for Canadians: whether it’s Federal/Provincial Governments, or private sector customers, I’ll spend my day discussing new identity and access management solutions and managing delivery dates for our new initiatives.
- Road mapping the future of digital ID in Canada: working with the Interac and 2Keys team, I’ll spend part of my day mapping out industry-first digital identity solutions and discussing what the future of identity will look like (we’ve taken a lot of selfies along the way).
- Taking a break: whether it’s a walk with the dog or a workout at home, I try to get in a break every day to stay fresh.
What is your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of my job is designing and presenting new innovative solutions. I love doing product demos and showing off new tech advancements that our great teams put together.
What does digital identity mean to you?
To me, digital identity means a lot of things – it means security, it means efficiency, it means an opportunity to migrate almost any service online. The hard part? Nobody else knows what digital identity is. Friends? Family? Neighbours? It’s a foreign concept. We need to figure out how to translate our understanding of digital identity and educate the masses.
Interac acquired 2Keys in 2019 and recently announced it has entered into a strategic transaction to acquire the exclusive rights to SecureKey Technologies Inc. digital ID services for Canada. How does it feel to be driving the evolution of digital ID services in Canada?
Unbelievable. This is a very exciting time. In two years, we’ve gone from little 2Keys trying to drive digital identity forward one demo at a time, to being a Canadian leader with Interac’s trusted brand behind us all. This is an opportunity for us to show Canadians the potential of digital identity and make their lives simpler, and more secure. There are exciting times ahead for everyone.
Where would you like to see your career grow with us?
Personally, I see a lot of growth in the digital identity industry, which hopefully in turn will mean growth for my career. I have found a niche that I very much enjoy and I’m excited that Interac is investing so much into it. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for all of us.
What is an interesting fact about you?
I was helicoptered off a mountain in Nepal. It’s a long story…
What makes Interac/2Keys a unique place to work?
I have never worked at a company that puts so much effort into engaging its people. And it’s not only about engaging in Interac-specific events, but also about educating and engaging in community events. We are all remote due to the pandemic, yet in the last three months I’ve been mailed a wine and cheese kit for a date night, an Interac cooler to enjoy at the beach, and an invitation to a free drive-in movie. But not only that, I just received an invitation to the Black Professionals in Tech Network’s (BPTN) summit, which Interac is a partner, and an orange shirt mailed to my door so I can show my support for the Indigenous community on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. That’s what impresses me, Interac cares and is looking to make a positive difference in more ways than one.
