Ms Cayley will report directly to Rob Cameron, CEO, as a member of the Payments Executive Committee, and will be responsible for the strategy, vision and commercial management of Barclaycard Payments’ suite of Gateway products - the technology used by merchants to process debit and credit card payments online, as well as leading the business’ omni-channel terminal strategy.

This appointment is a key step in Barclaycard Payments’ growth ambitions, capitalising on the ever-increasing importance of e-commerce to business success. In Q3 2020, the total turnover of payments processed by Barclaycard Payments was up 12 per cent year-on-year, and up 36 per cent compared to the previous quarter - with ecommerce representing nearly half of overall volumes*.

This growth of ecommerce is closely correlated with the impact of coronavirus, with many brick-and-mortar stores unable to open for much of the past 12 months due to lockdown restrictions. Barclaycard Payments data indicates that consumer demand for e-commerce is here to stay and will continue even after the pandemic has subsided.

Ms Cayley brings with her over 18 years’ experience in Financial Services, Retail, Loyalty and FMCG. She joins Barclaycard Payments from Worldpay, where she was SVP, Head of Gateway Product, responsible for driving the unified vision for Worldpay’s Gateway and revenue optimisation products, leading a global team spanning the UK, US and India. Additional roles include senior positions at Equiniti and Visa Europe.

Ms Cayley will join Barclaycard Payments in April 2021.

Rob Cameron, CEO, commented: “I am delighted that Harshna will be joining us to lead our Gateway solutions, which is a cornerstone of our growth strategy in both the short and long term. Harshna brings a proven track record of working in fast-paced environments to drive product innovation, as well as a strong commercial mind-set.

“With the accelerated and lasting trend towards ecommerce and customers’ desire to consolidate their payment needs with one unified provider, Gateway has never been more important. I am confident that Harshna will be a tremendous asset as we look to expand our e-commerce capabilities to better serve our clients.”

Harshna Cayley said: “Barclaycard Payments has a long history of payments innovation, which has always impressed me, and I look forward to being part of the next chapter as its new Head of Product Gateway. 2021 is such an exciting time for e-commerce, and I’m thrilled to be joining a leading payments organisation that truly recognises the growth potential of this vital technology.”

*Q4 and 2020 figures will be available when Barclays publishes its annual results on 18 February 2021.