Visa International has named Malcolm Williamson, group chief executive of Standard Chartered PLC, to succeed Edmund P. Jensen as president and chief executive officer.
Mr. Williamson has led the London-based bank, which does much of its business in Asia, since 1993. He will assume his post at Visa on Oct. 1.
Visa's announcement of a new leader, made late Wednesday after a Visa International board of directors meeting in London, has been anticipated since February, when Mr. Jensen said he would retire.
Mr. Williamson brings to Visa the gravitas of a distinguished global bank president. Standard Chartered is one of the top 100 banks in the world in market capitalization, with $14.4 billion at the end of the first quarter.
Born in 1939, Mr. Williamson began his banking career at Barclays Bank PLC. In 1985 he became managing director of Girobank PLC, which was sold to Alliance & Leicester Building Society in 1989.
Mr. Williamson said in a statement, "I am privileged to have this opportunity with Visa at such an exciting time for the industry."
Industry observers had wondered whether Visa would select another American to fill Mr. Jensen's post.
Michael Auriemma, president of Auriemma Consulting Group Inc. of Westbury, N.Y., said the selection of Mr. Williamson "shows that Visa is focused on international opportunities."
"They have a strong leader in (Visa U.S.A. president) Carl Pascarella, and what they need in their global CEO is someone who is focused on issues happening around the world," Mr. Auriemma said.
