Monitise appoints ex-Visa exec as co-CEO

Mobile money specialist Monitise has appointed ex-Visa payments executive Elizabeth Buse as co-Chief Executive with immediate effect.Buse, who was a member of the Monitise board between July 2010 and October 2012, will be responsible for the company's day-to-day operations, overseeing technology, product, sales and marketing.She will work alongside founder and now fellow co-Chief Executive Alastair Lukies, who will focus on Monitise's key relationships with partners and industry stakeholders, corporate development and major shareholders. The company said strategy would continue to be set by the executive leadership team in conjunction with the board, and that Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy CEO Lee Cameron would also continue in his role. Lukies said: "Elizabeth, who has been familiar with Monitise over a number of years, is a universally respected and talented executive with incredible expertise in international payments."The company has announced an aim to increase its registered users from 28m to 200m by the end of full-year 2018, growing its user-generated revenue through mobile banking, payments and commerce. Buse, who stepped down from her role as Executive Vice President of Solutions at Visa Inc. in March 2014 after 14 years at the company, said: "Monitise occupies a unique position in the global mobile money ecosystem as one of the few technology enablers with proven bank-grade solutions across banking, payments and commerce. "I am enormously impressed by the group's quality of products and services, the technology and, most of all, the people. "I cannot see a better-placed business to take advantage of the mobile money opportunity and am delighted to be joining Monitise." Visa EU owns 6.6% of Monitise shares, while Visa Inc owns a 5.8% stake. Shares in Montise were up 3.36% to 65.38p by 14:00 on Wednesday.OH