PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: Unisys Hires MasterCard Exec for Global Unit

Unisys Corp. has appointed Glenn F. Santmire to head its global financial services unit.

Mr. Santmire, former senior vice president of remote banking at MasterCard International, began his new position as president of what Unisys terms its worldwide financial line of business about a month ago.

The unit works in conjunction with Unisys divisions in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim to develop computer systems for banks in the United States and abroad.

Mr. Santmire is responsible for planning Unisys' strategy for addressing the global financial marketplace. He is also charged with developing marketing programs targeted at the company's existing and prospective clients.

He is expected to put his MasterCard experience to work by positioning Unisys to play a bigger role in the remote banking revolution.

Stephen A. Carns, Unisys executive vice president and president of the information services and systems group, said Mr. Santmire's "proven success in the global financial services marketplace," and "recognized expertise in electronic banking and alternate delivery channels" make him a strong addition to the company's management team.

"He will be instrumental in guiding Unisys' development of new classes of solutions in a range of channels to meet the constantly evolving requirements of our clients," Mr. Carns said.

Blue Bell, Pa.-based Unisys, a technology provider to 41 of the world's 50 largest banks, is gearing up for the emerging electronic commerce market by defining an alternative delivery strategy, Mr. Santmire said.

His goal will be to help banks move from legacy system environments to new retail delivery channels that can be integrated with branches, he said.

He added that Unisys will also work to help customers consolidate information scattered across various data bases into a central data warehouse that will allow them to know more about customers and to improve selling and service.

"With the proliferation of technology, new computing environments, and globalization, financial institutions are looking for outside consultants and systems integrators to help bring all the pieces together," he said.

Unisys, known mainly as a hardware provider, is trying to redefine itself as a more services-oriented technology organization that provides consulting and systems integration services to banks.

Mr. Santmire, 54, comes to Unisys with more than 20 years experience in the financial services industry. He is an acknowledged expert in developing consumer services.

Most recently, he has been an independent consultant on interactive banking projects, working for Visa Interactive, and consulting companies.

At MasterCard, Mr. Santmire launched MasterBanking, a service that allows participating financial institutions to offer their customers home banking, bill payment, investment, funds transfer, and securities trading services. The services are provided through touch-tone phones and personal computer.

Mr. Santmire has also held senior executive positions with Citibank, Dun & Bradstreet, American Express, and Chase Manhattan Bank.

He replaced Hernan Rincon, acting president of the worldwide financial services unit for the last two years. Mr. Rincon is now Unisys' chief information officer.

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