When software and AI agents act on behalf of humans, the question of who authorized the action becomes a legal and compliance minefield. ReLeaf Financial, the company behind the patented Proof of Intent protocol, is bringing in a seasoned expert to help navigate that terrain.
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — ReLeaf Financial has announced that Dan Regard, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Discovery Solutions, Inc. (iDS), has joined its board of directors. The appointment comes as the company scales its Proof of Intent technology for enterprise and regulated environments.
Regard brings more than a decade of collaboration with ReLeaf CEO Chris Surdak in compliance, eDiscovery, and information governance.
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That long working relationship was a key factor in the decision to add Regard to the board. The two have spent over ten years tackling shared challenges in compliance, eDiscovery, and information governance, and that history is expected to inform how ReLeaf positions Proof of Intent for broader adoption.
“Dan and I have spent years on the same side of the table solving the hard problems of evidence, control, and accountability,” said Surdak. “Proof of Intent exists to create a record that a person meant a specific act before it happened. Having Dan on the board gives us someone who has lived the downstream consequences when that record is missing. His perspective will keep us focused on the practical requirements of the organizations that need this most.”
Regard’s expertise is rooted in the real-world fallout when digital actions lack clear authorization. His perspective on the gap between user activity and user intent is central to what ReLeaf is trying to solve.
“I have watched Chris move from diagnosing governance failures to building the control that prevents them,” said Regard. “Proof of Intent addresses a gap that compliance and eDiscovery teams have felt for years: the difference between knowing who logged in and knowing whether that person authorized the act. I am joining the board because the problem is real, the solution is real, and the timing is right to put the capability in front of the institutions that will have to defend these decisions later.”
Proof of Intent addresses a gap that compliance and eDiscovery teams have felt for years: the difference between knowing who logged in and knowing whether that person authorized the act.”— Dan Regard, ReLeaf Financial Board Member
Regard’s appointment is designed to expand the board’s collective experience in regulated workflows, electronic evidence, and enterprise governance. This comes as ReLeaf continues commercial deployments and prepares for wider institutional adoption of its technology.
About ReLeaf Financial
ReLeaf Financial builds software that records Proof of Intent—an explicit human authorization bound to a specific digital action—so organizations can govern software and AI agents with an audit trail. Proof of Intent is covered by U.S. Patent No. 12,505,416. The company is headquartered in the United States. Learn more at releaf-financial.com.
About Intelligent Discovery Solutions, Inc.
IDS is an international leader in the provision of professional services and expert witness testimony in the areas of electronic discovery, compliance, and information governance. Dan Regard is its Chief Executive Officer.
Christopher Surdak, CEO of ReLeaf Financial
Chris Surdak
ReLeaf Financial Incorporated
+1 714-398-4874
chris@releaf-financial.com
Why it matters: As organizations increasingly deploy AI agents that can execute actions autonomously, the legal question of who authorized a given act becomes more urgent. ReLeaf’s move to add a leader with deep experience in the consequences of missing evidence signals that the market for intent-based audit trails is moving from concept to institutional necessity.
