Dan Bauer has left MasterCard International to join the Bank Administration Institute's management team.
Mr. Bauer, 46, will be executive vice president and general manager for the Chicago-based group, with overall responsibility for marketing, sales, and communications. He reports to Ronald G. Burke, president and chief executive.
Since 1992 Mr. Bauer had been senior vice president of marketing for the MasterCard/Cirrus automated teller machine network and for Maestro International's global point of sale debit program, based in Chicago.
One reason he moved to the Bank Administration Institute is that Cirrus will be moving in November to MasterCard headquarters in Purchase, N.Y. (See article on this page.) Mr. Bauer lives in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb.
"Dan's strategic leadership and customer focus will help us to further differentiate, strengthen, and expand our array of offerings," said the institute's Mr. Burke.
Mr. Bauer brings "proven knowledge of how financial institutions can achieve bottom-line success in serving local, national, and international markets," his new boss said.
The Bank Administration Institute sponsors conferences, conducts research, and serves as a conduit for information. The professional banking organization was founded in 1924 and has 70 chapters run by bankers in their communities.
At MasterCard, Mr. Bauer said, "I gained a good understanding of the workings at an association level. My other experience is from a classical marketing perspective that starts with the customer and helps you develop programs and communication channels."
Marketing can make "a tremendous direct contribution" at the Bank Administration Institute, Mr. Bauer said. The organization needs better marketing "to sustain success in a market where there is continued consolidation," he said.
Before joining MasterCard, Mr. Bauer was a vice president in the national marketing division of Citibank, supporting regional banks in seven states. He began his financial services career in 1981 at Bank of Hawaii, where he was vice president, director of marketing.
The Cleveland native earned his master's degree in general management from the Harvard Business School. He serves on the board of the Chicago chapter of the American Marketing Association.
