Joseph W. Saunders (born c. 1945) is the executive chairman and former CEO of the multibillion-dollar global payments technology company
Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. () is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, most commonly through Visa-branded credit cards, debit c ...
, appointed in 2007.
Early life
He graduated as a brother of
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly referred to as Lambda Chi, is a fraternities and sororities, collegiate fraternity in North America. With over 300,000 initiates as of 2024, it is the third-largest social fraternity in the world by number of initia ...
from the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
where he acquired a B.S. in business administration and an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
.
Career
Saunders was president and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
Providian
Providian Financial Corporation was an American financial services company founded in 1997, which became one of the leading credit card issuers in the United States before it was sold to Washington Mutual for approximately US$6.5 billion in Oct ...
from November 2001, and chairman of the board from May 2002 until 2005.
He served as president of card services for
Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual, Inc. (often abbreviated to WaMu) was an American Bank holding company, savings bank holding company based in Seattle. It was the parent company of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the largest savings and loan association in ...
, Inc. after acquiring
Providian Financial Corporation in October 2005. until
Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual, Inc. (often abbreviated to WaMu) was an American Bank holding company, savings bank holding company based in Seattle. It was the parent company of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the largest savings and loan association in ...
’s Purchasing of
Providian
Providian Financial Corporation was an American financial services company founded in 1997, which became one of the leading credit card issuers in the United States before it was sold to Washington Mutual for approximately US$6.5 billion in Oct ...
in 2005. From 1997 until 2001, Saunders served as chairman and CEO of Fleet Credit Card Services. After leaving Visa, he became the head of Green Visor Capital, a new
fintech
Financial technology (abbreviated as fintech) refers to the application of innovative technologies to products and services in the financial industry. This broad term encompasses a wide array of technological advancements in financial services, ...
venture capital fund.
Saunders served as a member of the board of Visa
USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
from October 2002 to February 2007 and as a member of the board for
Visa International
Visa Inc. () is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, most commonly through Visa-branded credit cards, debit c ...
from October 2005 to February 2007.
Philanthropy
He served as chairman of the board for Teach For All beginning in September 2009.
Saunders and his wife Sharon donated $5 million to the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
in 2018 to establish the Saunders Leadership Academy.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Joseph
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
University of Denver alumni
American chief executives of financial services companies