Visa names new country chief

Visa Asia Pacific has appointed Jim Dixon as country manager for the Philippines and Guam effective June 2004. Dixon, currently group director, Visa Consulting for Visa Asia Pacific, will be based in Manila.

In his new role, Dixon will be responsible for expanding Visa’s payment card business in the Philippines and Guam, by forging strong business partnerships with Visa’s member financial institutions.

"We are delighted to have Jim drive Visa’s business in the Philippines, an important growth market for the payment industry. Jim brings with him a wealth of experience working with Visa’s member banks around the region. He knows our Philippine member banks well and his appointment signals Visa’s strong commitment to enhance the support we bring to our member banks in the Philippines," Visa’s executive vice president and general manager for Greater China and the Philippines Jim Allhusen said.

Visa has over four million credit and debit cards in circulation, and 50,000 merchants accepting Visa cards in the Philippines. In 2003, Visa generated close to $1 billion in retail sales volume (volume made on purchases at point of sale).

Dixon is a former banker and a veteran of Visa Asia Pacific, having served Visa’s member financial institutions in a variety of roles for the past 12 years.

As head of Visa Consulting, Jim managed an expert team that works with Visa’s Asia Pacific members to increase their performance and profitability. He is known to many of Visa’s member banks in the Philippines where he has worked on country-specific marketing, productivity, and profitability projects.

Visa is the world’s leading payment brand generating more than $2.9 trillion in annual card sales volume. Visa has acceptance in more than 150 countries.