First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, today announced that John Elkins has been appointed as the President of the company's business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC) and Latin America (LA).
Elkins has served as the company's chief marketing and strategy officer since joining First Data in 2009, and in addition to his new role, will continue to lead Corporate Strategy.
"John brings extensive global operational experience, and since January, has been managing all First Data businesses outside of North America. He has deep knowledge of the many different countries and their market potential, revenues, and current market penetration for our issuing and acquiring businesses," said First Data Chief Executive Officer Jon Judge. "The global leadership that John brings to this new role will allow us to keep our forward momentum with no disruption to the strategy and plans we have in place. We are fortunate to have John serving in this role, guiding our long-term strategies in these important growth markets."
"Markets outside North America offer First Data great opportunities for investment and long-term growth," said Elkins. "The expansion and growth of electronic payments around the world, in emerging markets and within First Data, underscores my enthusiasm for taking on this assignment. During the last 20 years of my career I have had the benefit of running or starting companies in many countries and markets around the world, as diverse as Saudi Arabia and China, and I am pleased to now work with our leaders in global markets outside North America."
About John Elkins
Prior to joining First Data, Elkins served as a senior advisor at McKinsey and Company. He also previously served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Visa International. Elkins is the founder and former chairman and CEO of FutureBrand, a worldwide corporate brand, retail, industrial and packaging strategy and design consultancy that immediately became one of the leading global enterprises in the marketing communications sector when it launched in 1999.
Elkins was a member of the McCann-Erickson WorldGroup board from 1997 through 2004, and has published several papers on the topic of payments including "Payment Solutions for Modernizing Economies," Commonwealth Business Council Report, September 2006; "Electronic Payments: A Catalyst for Tourism Economic Development," World Economic Forum Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007; and "Rethinking Commercial Security in the Digital Age," Visa Whitepaper, June 2007. Elkins serves on both the FINCA International and Elateral boards as well as the UN Microfinace Advisory Board. He holds a master's degree from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree from the University of Exeter, England.