UK payments network Voca has hired Erik Månsson, who was formerly senior market infrastructure expert at the European Central Bank (ECB), to lead its Sepa initiatives.
Månsson has been appointed director of European business development at Voca and will work with banks across Europe to find opportunities for collaboration on the Single European Payments Area (Sepa), the EU directive aimed at driving down cross-border payment transaction costs by 2008.
Månsson is an expert on European cross-border payments and electronic funds transfers in the single market. His role at the ECB included facilitating the development and implementation of the Sepa strategy. He was also responsible for coordination of the ECB's contacts with commercial banks through the European Payments Council (EPC), and those with corporates through the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT).
Prior to that role, Månsson was payments expert in the payment systems policy division of the ECB during the Euro launch. He assisted in the establishment of the Target system and coordinated the Euro preparation of payment systems in the EMU member countries.
In his new post, Månsson will report to Martin Wilson, business development director, Voca.
Commenting on the appointment, Wilson says: "Forming collaborative relationships within the industry is crucial to unlocking Sepa's potential, and Erik's unique depth of understanding across the European payments industry significantly boosts Voca's capabilities in this area."
Voca says it is currently in the "final stages" of overhauling its payments infrastructure in preparation for Sepa. The firm has been working with BEA, Sun and Oracle to develop a new IP-based infrastructure to replace its mainframe-based system.