Obopay Inc. has hired former First Data Corp. senior vice president Gregory Holmes as U.S. president, a newly created position at the mobile phone payments company.
Mr. Holmes said his main task is to increase Obopay's acceptance among small merchants that only accept cash. "I have been focused on the payments business for about 20 years and have always focused on opening new markets," he said in an interview last week. "That cash-only merchant base can be counted in the millions."
Obopay, of San Francisco, offers a service that lets people send and receive money through their mobile phones. It has been concentrating on consumer payments, such as by students and families, but Mr. Holmes said the service has attracted interest from very small businesses, including baby-sitters and music teachers. Activity in that niche has "grown on its own without a lot of drive from us," he said. "It's not been a big emphasis of ours, because we've been focused on building out the network."
Obopay announced the hiring April 30.
