Interac, Acxsys Announce Mark P. O'Connell as New President and CEO

"We welcome the opportunity to have someone with Mr. O'Connell's experience lead our team. His passion for the industry and vision for our future, combined with the unique insight he has acquired from his involvement on our Board, make him the perfect individual to advance Interac Association's leadership position in the market," says Carlos Martinez, Chair of the Interac Association Board.

As President and CEO, Mr. O'Connell will oversee the operation of Canada's shared electronic financial services network, which provides millions of Canadians with safe, reliable access to their money 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He will also lead the development of new payment service opportunities and spearhead the introduction of Chip technology to the Canadian marketplace.

"We are pleased to have Mr. O'Connell come aboard at a time when so many exciting initiatives are taking place within our organization, and in the North American payment industry as a whole," says Bob Grant, Chair of the Acxsys Corporation Board. "Mark is a dynamic leader who shares Acxsys Corporation's goal of providing consumers with innovative payment solutions. His experience and background are the ideal fit to lead us as we introduce a new level of convenience to Canadian cardholders."

During his six years with Emergis Inc., Mr. O'Connell was responsible for significantly increasing profitability in Emergis' Finance business and heading the global business relationship with Visa USA and Visa International. Mr. O'Connell has also held an executive position with NCR Corporation where he was responsible for Data Warehousing, Payment, and ATM solutions in the Western Hemisphere. A graduate of McGill University and the University of Windsor's MBA program, Mr. O'Connell has also studied finance at the Harvard Business School.