Featurespace, a U.K.-based company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect financial crimes, has hired former IBM Corp. contract negotiator Don Riddick to lead the firm's global legal department.  

"It's my mission to make sure that we make well-informed decisions in order to meet those expectations and commitments to be partners with our customers for a very long time," Riddick said in a statement Thursday, when Featurespace announced his appointment.

He added in an interview that one of the challenges he faces as chief legal officer is "helping customers understand how models meet their needs, how they interact with data and how they meet regulatory guidelines," which he said "is clearly a developing area of law in the relatively new field of AI."

Riddick, the company's first CLO and sole member of the legal department, is based at Featurespace's nearly 7,000-square-foot U.S. headquarters in Atlanta's Bank of America Plaza. Featurespace moved into the building in 2017. The company's U.K. offices are in Cambridge and London.

Featurespace's customers include HSBC, one of the world's largest banks, and Danske Bank, which has been embroiled in a massive money laundering scandal. Danske uses Featurespace to mitigate card fraud at the customer level, according to Featurespace's website. 

Riddick most recently served as vice president of corporate legal at Total System Services Inc., or TSYS, a global payment processing firm and a client of Featurespace. In that role, he handled commercial agreements, regulatory compliance and privacy issues. He also was involved in several mergers and acquisitions, including a $21.5 billion deal with Global Payments Inc. 

Riddick spent the earlier part of his career at IBM, where he started in 2000 as an advisory project manager. In 2007, he was promoted to contract executive team leader for IBM's legal department, a position he held for seven years.

As a contract leader, he spearheaded negotiations and closed deals in the $10 million to $200 million range for IBM customers, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Nike Inc., Starbucks Corp., Walmart Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co., according to his LinkedIn profile.

"Don brings a powerful blend of expertise that encompasses financial services law, regulatory compliance, vendor segmentations and innovation, making him a vital addition to the Featurespace team," Featurespace founder Dave Excell stated in a news release. "His experience and legal counsel will be crucial to us and our expanding clientele."