The National Retail Federation (NRF) announced Tuesday the hiring of Paul G. Martino as vice president and senior policy counsel, and the elevation of Beth Provenzano to vice president for federal government relations.

Martino and Provenzano will work with the NRF Government Relations Department and focus on emerging public policy priorities, including data security, payments, mobile and e-commerce, privacy and patent reform.

“The National Retail Federation looks for world-class talent within our ranks and beyond,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Beth and Paul have been valuable members of our team for a number of years whose in-depth knowledge of the retail industry and relationships on and off Capitol Hill will go a long way in advancing the retail industry’s public policy priorities.”

Martino joins NRF from the Washington office of the national law firm Alston & Bird LLP, where he served as a partner and co-chair of the firm’s privacy and data security practice. He has worked with the retail community as a consultant to NRF on a number of retail industry issues since 2008. Before joining the firm, Martino served as majority counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee and principal advisor on privacy and e-commerce to its chairman, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Provenzano has been with NRF since 2011. She has been leading the retail industry’s efforts on patent litigation reform and continues to play a crucial role in the debate over swipe fees. Before joining NRF, she served as deputy chief of staff for the Office of the Secretary of the Senate and staffed Senators John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Bob Graham, D-Fla.

“As public policy and regulation advance in the technology and privacy realm, NRF is primed and ready for the challenge,” Shay said. “Beth’s promotion and Paul’s hiring send a strong signal that retail is a technologically driven and innovative industry, and that NRF is the voice of this consumer-driven industry.”

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