Brian's appointment comes as MasterCard is seeking to respond to the results of a global consultation exercise conducted with merchants in the US and Europe. The results of the study highlighted a clear desire amongst merchants to develop a greater dialogue and collaboration with MasterCard in conducting their business. Consultation on the development of new products and services, and more joint promotional opportunities also feature highly on the merchant's wish list.

Brian's first priority will be to institute a more formalized dialogue with merchants in order to facilitate more regular discussion and agreement on areas of mutual interest. Plans for this move are currently being finalized in consultation with merchants groups and will be announced shortly.

The MasterCard team will also be responding to the desire amongst merchants for greater provision of partnerships and promotional opportunities. In the coming months, MasterCard is determined to further exploit the success of the 'Priceless' advertising campaign, by offering merchants a range of partnership opportunities utilizing the campaign's consumer appeal.

Commenting on the findings of the study and the task ahead, Brian said: "I view MasterCard's relationship with merchants and the acquiring community as an evolving partnership. The results of our worldwide listening exercise confirm merchant's desire for greater collaboration with MasterCard and reflect our existing plans to move towards a closer relationship. To facilitate this I am currently finalizing a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the specific requirements. We are working hard to bring these online and I am seeking to make a series of senior additions to my existing team to ensure there is no delay in the roll out of our plans to deliver tangible improvements to both the level of service and dialogue offered to our merchant customers."

An aggressive recruitment campaign is currently under way to secure the right people to join Brian's team. MasterCard is specifically looking for a pan-European retail expert, European Travel and Entertainment expert based in Waterloo, and regional country managers who will be tasked with managing day to day relationships with merchants in France, Benelux, Italy, Spain and Russia.

With more than seven years within the global payments systems industry, formerly Brian held the position of MasterCard Europe Senior Vice President and General Manager UK & Republic of Ireland.