Wave Crest Names Chris Mason as Managing Director, Europe

GIBRALTAR, August 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Former Managing Director of AIB Merchant Services, former Head of Citi Commercial Cards EMEA, joins Wave Crest Holdings in Key Leadership Role

The Board of Directors of Wave Crest Holdings, a global e-payments company, today announced that Chris Mason has been named Managing Director, Europe.  Mason's appointment was effective 1 August 2011 and he has relocated with his family from Dublin to Gibraltar where Wave Crest is headquartered.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to join an organization that's truly innovating in the rapidly changing payments industry.  Wave Crest has a talented leadership team and employees who are passionate about delivering unmatched value to their customers through unique payment solutions.  I hope I can strengthen the team and market proposition even further," said Mason.

Mason's position is new at Wave Crest, and was created to drive faster growth across Europe, and build upon the company's already strong reputation and customer base in the European e-payments market.   He will report to Gary Palmer, President of Wave Crest Holdings.

"We're extremely excited that Chris is on our team," said Palmer. "Wave Crest's business has grown rapidly in Europe, and Chris joins at exactly the right time to oversee this growth, and sharpen our thinking as we identify additional payment situations that can be improved by the efficient, safe and easy-to-use prepaid, mobile and other electronic payment solutions enabled by our expertise and technology.  Also, he's demonstrated great leadership and the ability to take businesses through periods of rapid growth to maturity, while delighting customers.  Chris' extensive experience in card issuing, card acquiring and cash management represents a rare and valuable combination in the payments industry, and is exactly what we need as we continue to transform how payments are made and received by consumers, corporations and governments."

Biographical Highlights about Chris Mason

Chris Mason was Managing Director of AIBMS for more than 2 years.  AIBMS is a joint venture between First Data and Allied Irish Banks, the largest card processor in Ireland and a leading provider of card acquiring services to large corporations.  During his leadership, AIBMS significantly grew bottom line profitability and established itself in key verticals despite a challenging Irish economy.  

Before serving at AIBMS, Mason spent 13 years at Citigroup, most recently as Global Head of Worldlink Payment Services, a transaction services business that processes payments with a total value in excess of $750 billion in more than 135 currencies.  Prior to Worldlink Payment Services, Mason was Business Head of Citi Commercial Cards EMEA for almost 8 years, a business that he lead as a start-up and which became the leading corporate card provider for multi-national corporations in the region.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance.

About Wave Crest

Wave Crest is a global e-payments company that turns payments into a powerful tool to drive company growth.  We provide fresh thinking and customized payment solutions, which our clients leverage to become more profitable, operate with greater competitive differentiation and address strategic business objectives.  Our one-stop global shop includes prepaid card issuing, program management, acquiring and specialized processing. Wave Crest is based in Gibraltar and has fully owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and India. For more information, visit http://www.wavecrest.gi