Today, Visa announced the appointment of Michiel Wielhouwer, previously the Executive Director of Visa’s France, Belgium, and Luxembourg business, to President and Country Manager for Visa Canada. He will succeed Stacey Madge, who served in this role for the past seven years.
Wielhouwer joins Visa Canada at a time of growth and opportunity as the company establishes new secure ways to pay, driven by its innovation and fintech strategy. Wielhouwer will continue to deliver value for Visa’s key clients, partners, and stakeholders while living the company’s purpose to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.
“I am honoured to step into the role of President and Country Manager of Visa Canada and plan to use my experience from my time in Europe to add value to our partners and the Visa business in this country,” said Michiel Wielhouwer. “I look forward to working with our talented Canadian employees and our strong network of clients and industry partners across the country.”
Wielhouwer is a Visa veteran with 22 years of experience across five different markets. He brings deep financial services knowledge and leadership to Canada. Originally from the Netherlands and a multi-lingual speaker, Wielhouwer’s global background is a welcome addition to the multicultural and bilingual Canadian market.
Wielhouwer steps into the role following the successful leadership of Stacey Madge. In Madge’s seven years with the organization, Visa Canada has seen tremendous growth through new client relationships, fintech collaborations, product innovations, and acceleration of money movement. Under her leadership, Canada has become a talent hub for Visa and a respected payments leader in the country. In her next chapter, Madge will be dedicating her talents to board, community, and foundation work.
“I am very proud to pass the helm to Michiel. His background and experience will be highly valued by the payments ecosystem in Canada,” said Stacey Madge. “He has the backing of a strong and talented team whom I have been honoured to work with.”
“Stacey is a respected leader in the Canadian payments industry and was instrumental in securing Visa’s current position in the Canadian market,” said Kim Lawrence, Visa’s Regional President, North America. “We want to thank her for the many contributions she has made to our organization and the Canadian market and wish her the best as she embarks on her next chapter pursuing board and foundation work.”
Lawrence adds, “Michiel is a fantastic addition to our North American team, and I am confident that our Canadian clients and Visa team will continue to thrive under his leadership.”