People on the Move: Govind Rajan, Freecharge
India-based digital payment platform Freecharge has appointed Govind Rajan as its new CEO.
Movers and Shakers
People on the Move: Dean Schlader, RPG Card Services
Dean Schlader has joined the RPG Card Services as vice president of retail services.
People on the Move, Fiona Tee, Currency Cloud
Payments technology provider Currency Cloud has appointed Fiona Tee to the role of chief financial officer.
People on the Move: Leonore Van Waaij, Backbase
Omnichannel digital banking technology provider Backbase has hired Leonore Van Waaij to be the company’s new chief financial officer, heading all of the firm’s financial, legal and compliance operations.
Q&A with Steve Montross, CPI Card Group
For card manufacturers like CPI Card Group, the U.S. transition to EMV continues to be a top priority. But broader trends like the rise of e-commerce and wearables also are shaping a business that goes well beyond plastic.
People on the Move: Todd Clark, CO-OP Financial Services
CO-OP Financial Services, which provides financial technology to 3,500 credit unions, has announced that Todd Clark will assume the role of president and CEO, effective June 27, succeeding the retiring Stan Hollen.
Company on the Move: The Orogen Group, Launch
Former Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit and independent investment fund Atairos Group are creating The Orogen Group, a New York-based company that will make controlling and other strategic investments in financial services companies and related businesses.
People on the Move: Karen Richardson, Worldpay
Global payments processor and technology provider Worldpay Group plc has appointed Karen Richardson to the company’s board of directors as an independent non-executive director and a member of the audit and nomination committees, effective July 1, 2016.
People on the Move: Melissa Stevens, Fifth Third Bancorp
Fifth Third Bancorp has hired Melissa Stevens as senior vice president, chief digital officer and head of omni-channel banking.
Company on the Move: Visa Inc., New Dubai Innovation Center
Visa Inc. has opened a new innovation center in Dubai Internet City, the region’s largest information and communications technology community.
Kozlowski Takes Reins at The Bancorp
The board of directors of The Bancorp Inc. and The Bancorp Bank has appointed Damian Kozlowski to leadership roles with both entities. Kozlowski will become CEO of The Bancorp and president of The Bancorp Bank, effective June 1, 2016. He also will serve as director of both units. Kozlowski has served since 2010 as CEO, president and director of Modern Bank, a New York City-based private bank.
Word from the Streit: Green Dot CEO Talks to Paybefore
In the midst of a contentious proxy fight leading up to the May 23 shareholders’ meeting, Green Dot Chairman and CEO Steve Streit spoke with Paybefore about Harvest Capital’s concerns, how he sees Green Dot’s position in the market and when he’d show himself the door.
Company on the Move: Blackhawk Network, ‘Silicon Valley 150’
Blackhawk Network was ranked 18 of 25 “non-tech” firms in the Bay Area by the Bay Area News Group in its 2016 “Silicon Valley 150” (SV150) list, a four-spot jump from Blackhawk’s ranking last year.
People on the Move: Diane Faro, JetPay
Payments solutions provider JetPay Corp. has appointed Diane Faro to its board of directors.
Agencies on the Move: FinCEN Law Enforcement Awards
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) presented its second annual Law Enforcement Awards in a ceremony at the U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 10.
People on the Move: Gene Fredriksen, Global Forum to Advance Cyber Resilience
Gene Fredriksen, chief information security officer for credit union service organization PSCU, has been selected to help represent the nation’s credit unions in the Global Forum to Advance Cyber Resilience, a public/private initiative bringing together industry, business, government and critical infrastructure leaders to operationalize cyber resilience and cybersecurity.
People on the Move: Carl Gish, Affirm
San Francisco-based Affirm has hired former eBay vice president Carl Gish to be its first chief marketing officer.
People on the Move: Priti Parekh, Clutch Group
Clutch Group, a global legal, risk and compliance analytics and consulting firm, has hired Priti Parekh to serve as the company’s Global COO.
Company on the Move: TOC, FIDO Alliance
Chilean biometrics company TOC has joined the FIDO Alliance, the association aiming to develop global standards for online authentication based on methods that are more secure than simple passwords.
People on the Move: Jennifer Shasky Calvery, FinCEN
Jennifer Shasky Calvery will leave her position as director of the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at the end of May.
People on the Move: Matthew Eichner, Federal Reserve Board
The Federal Reserve Board has appointed Matthew Eichner to serve as director of its Division of Reserve Bank Operations and Payment Systems, effective May 1.
People on the Move: Donna Embry, Payment Alliance International, ETA Award
Donna Embry, chief payments adviser at Payment Alliance International (PAI), has been honored as the winner of the 2016 Distinguished Payments Professional Award from the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA).
People on the Move: Ron Metschke, TMG
Payments processor TMG has named Ron Metschke to the newly created role of senior vice president, channel development
People on the Move: Phil Olson, Financial Technology Partners
Financial Technology (FT) Partners has hired Phil Olson as a managing director in the company’s new Chicago office.
People on the Move: PSCU Board of Directors
Credit union service organization PSCU has re-elected four current members of its board of directors to new three-year terms.
People on the Move: Brooke Fitts, Central Payments Division at CBKC
Central Payments, the payments division at Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC), recently announced that Brooke Fitts has joined the company as vice president of operations.
Companies on the Move: Edge Consultancy
Edge Consultancy LLC, a new strategic consulting firm aimed at community banks and credit unions, has added several new consultants and leadership positions, including CEO Kirk Kordeleski, former CEO at Bethpage Credit Union.
People on the Move: Raj Seshadri, MasterCard
MasterCard has appointed Raj Seshadri as president, U.S. Issuers. In this new role, she will be responsible for managing and expanding the company’s partnerships with banks and credit unions across the U.S. market.
People on the Move: Mung Ki Woo, OmnyPay
OmnyPay, a provider of one-step loyalty rewards and coupon redemption via mobile, announced that former MasterCard senior executive Mung Ki Woo will be joining OmnyPay’s leadership team in the role of chief partnerships and international officer.
People on the Move: Marcus Treacher, Ripple
Ripplet, a global provider of financial settlement solutions, has hired HSBC alum Marcus Treacher as global head of strategic accounts.
CFPB Fills Leadership Posts
On April 12, the CFPB announced the addition of several new members to leadership positions within the bureau for the external affairs division; the consumer education and engagement division; the student loan ombudsman and Office for Students and Young Consumers; the Office of Small Business Lending; the Office of Consumer Response; and the Office of Supervision Examinations.
Company on the Move: Accuity, New Miami Office
Global risk and compliance and payments solutions provider Accuity has opened a new office in Miami to serve new and existing clients in Miami, Central America, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean.
People on the Move: Emmett Higdon, Javelin Strategy & Research
Javelin Strategy & Research has announced that Emmett Higdon has joined the firm and will assume the role of director of mobile.
People on the Move: Hyperledger Project, Board Leadership, New Corporate Members
The Hyperledger Project—a collaborative effort, led by the nonprofit Linux Foundation, with the goal of establishing an open blockchain distributed ledger platform that will satisfy a variety of use cases across multiple industries—has announced newly elected leaders of its governing board and technical steering committee, along with new corporate members.
People on the Move: Retail Gift Card Association, Board of Directors
The Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) has elected five new members to its board of directors and appointed two current board members to executive-level positions.
People on the Move: John Sloan, Allegiance Capital Corp.
John Sloan has been named president and CEO of Allegiance Capital Corp., a Dallas-based private investment bank.
M&A Update: Payoneer Buys Armor; FinTech Studios Acquires iUbble
M&A activity continues apace with cross-border B2B payments firm Payoneer completing its acquisition of escrow services provider Armor Payments. Meanwhile, FinTech Studios, which sells fintech software, has bought iUbble, a 2-year-old company whose own software includes a browser for Web and mobile apps.
People on the Move: Anil Aggarwal, Blackhawk Network Board
Blackhawk Network has named Anil Aggarwal to the company’s board of directors.
People on the Move: Mayer Brown LLP
Mayer Brown LLP, a legal services organization advising clients in the Americas, Asia and Europe, announced that a consumer financial services group of partners has joined the firm, representing an addition to its global financial services regulatory and enforcement practice.
People on the Move: Eric Thiegs, National Gift Card Corp.
National Gift Card Corp. (NGC), a provider of B2B incentive and loyalty gift cards, has appointed Eric Thiegs president.
