SWIFT has appointed Javier Pérez-Tasso as its new chief executive.

A member of the executive team for the past seven years, he currently serves as chief executive for the Americas and UK. He will take up his appointment on 1 July, in place of Gottfried Leibbrandt, who announced his intention to step down from the post at the end of June in December 2018.

The appointment follows a comprehensive internal and external search conducted by the board, advised by a professional search firm.

SWIFT chairman Yawar Shah, said: “Javier‘s track record of impressive leadership, coupled with his in-depth understanding of the company and its business, means that he is expertly positioned for this new role.

“The board joins me in thanking Gottfried for his extraordinary dedication and service and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours," he continued, adding: “I look forward to working with Javier to build on this, as SWIFT continues to serve the banking community as its FinTech.”

Pérez-Tasso joined SWIFT in 1995 and was appointed chief executive for the Americas and UK in September 2015. In this position, he deepened SWIFT’s engagement model with global transaction banks and successfully delivered business development results in high-growth markets. He was also an executive sponsor of SWIFT’s Customer Security Programme from 2016 to 2018, helping to formulate and lead SWIFT’s response to the growing cyber challenge facing the community.

Prior to that, Pérez-Tasso served as chief marketing officer, a role in which he was responsible for developing SWIFT’s current five-year strategy. The SWIFT2020 strategy he defined has led to the co-operative’s renewed focus on cross-border payments, expansion into financial crime compliance and deeper presence in the market infrastructures area, including its entry into instant payments.

Earlier in his career, Pérez-Tasso held a number of technology and leadership positions in business development in regional offices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Commenting on his appointment, Pérez-Tasso said: “I am fortunate to start this mandate building on Gottfried’s strong legacy, and I look forward to maintaining our focus on operational excellence as well as to accelerating SWIFT’s transformation during a period of unprecedented change and opportunity for the community.”

A Spanish national, Pérez-Tasso holds a degree in electrical engineering from Institut National Polytéchnique de Grenoble, a master's degree in management from Solvay Business School, a master in finance from IE Business School and the Executive TGM from Insead.

As chief executive, he will be based at SWIFT’s headquarters in Belgium.

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