Perez will report to Alan Heuer, Chief Operating Officer, and have responsibility for the 53 countries that encompass MasterCard's European region.

Since 2004, Perez has been President of MasterCard's Latin America and Caribbean Region. Under his leadership, the Latin America and Caribbean Region has been one of the company's fastest-growing regions, with full-year 2005 gross dollar volume growth of 32.5%.

Previously, Perez was General Manager of the Customer Group for MasterCard Europe. In that capacity, he was responsible for all regional business development in Europe including branding, distribution, sponsorship, and products.

"Javier has a proven track record of success, and I am confident that he will be a strong leader for Europe during this critical period," said Heuer. "Under his leadership, Latin America has achieved significant growth. As head of the European Customer Group, he was instrumental in driving Europe's adoption of MasterCard's customer-focused strategy, which has set us apart from the competition and provided a platform to demonstrate our ability to deliver truly pan-European, globally competitive payment systems."

Before joining MasterCard in 1996, Perez held several senior positions at Banco Bilbao de Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), including Country Executive for Tokyo and Hong Kong operations; President of the bank's Miami subsidiary; Head of Payment Systems for commercial banking and New Banking Products in Spain; and International Area Head for the Asia, Middle East and Africa regions. In addition, he has held positions at Banca Catalana, Banco Directo and Visa International. He has a master's degree from both the ESADE University in Spain and Thunderbird University in Arizona.

"Javier's strong international experience will serve him well as he transitions back to Europe," Heuer said.

Perez succeeds Alex Labak, who is leaving MasterCard. MasterCard is currently in the process of identifying a successor to head its Latin America and Caribbean region. In the interim, Ruth Ann Marshall, president of the Americas for MasterCard, will oversee the region.

"Javier's leadership and direction has led the Latin America and Caribbean region to unprecedented growth over the past two years. We will continue to implement the strategy and direction he set to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the region's momentum," said Marshall.