Visa Appoints Chris Newkirk as Chief Strategy Officer

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) announced today that Chris Newkirk will join the company in the newly created position of Chief Strategy Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Newkirk will lead the Corporate Strategy organization to drive strategic planning for Visa overall, and in partnership with Visa’s regional teams. He will be a member of the Executive Committee and report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Al Kelly. Mr. Newkirk will begin work at Visa on June 15.

Mr. Newkirk brings 20 years of business, payments, banking and strategy experience to Visa. Since 2008, he has held multiple leadership roles at Capital One, most recently as the President of Small Business, International & Walmart Partnership. In that position, Mr. Newkirk was responsible for all aspects of these businesses, from growth strategy, marketing, sales and financial performance to customer experience, digital transformation, risk management and talent strategy. Mr. Newkirk led a diverse team of associates across six businesses and served on Capital One's Executive Committee since 2016 where he played an integral role in developing the company’s strategy.

Before joining Capital One, Mr. Newkirk held a number of leadership roles at IndyMac Bank, spanning line of business leadership and corporate functions. Prior to that, he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Washington DC, where he served clients across Financial Services, Tech and Business Intelligence in the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Newkirk earned his undergraduate degree cum laude from Yale University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School.

“Chris will be a great addition to the executive team, not only because of the deep payments expertise he brings, but also for his passion for people and excellent leadership,” said Al Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Visa Inc. “I look forward to welcoming Chris into our Visa family. He will bring some incredible experience and new insights as we continue to deliver on Visa’s strategy, build stronger client relationships and grow our business.”

Outside of work, Mr. Newkirk is passionate about enabling students to tap into their potential and create the lifelong learning skills our world requires and rewards. He currently serves on the board of the District of Columbia College Access Program, which partners with DC public schools to provide counseling and financial assistance to students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to attend college.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device, for everyone, everywhere.  As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.