The SIBS Group today announces the appointment of João Mello Franco as Chairman of the Executive Committee, marking the start of a new management cycle at a time when the European payments ecosystem is undergoing profound transformation. European strategic autonomy in payments is now a priority. SIBS, as one of Europe’s leading payment players, is thus assuming a strong technological, operational and institutional leadership role to address these challenges.

João Mello Franco is a member of the Group’s Executive Committee, which comprises Hélder Neves (CFO), Teresa Mesquita (COO), Rui Lima (Chief International Officer) and Ricardo Madeira (Chief Technology Officer). Vítor Fernandes remains Chairman of the Board of Directors.

A graduate of the Portuguese Catholic University and holder of an MBA from INSEAD, João Mello Franco brings to SIBS a career marked by leadership roles in highly complex environments. He began his professional career at McKinsey & Company, where he progressed from Business Analyst to Principal Associate, working in markets such as Spain, Poland, France, Morocco, Chile and Argentina, in the banking, insurance, media and energy sectors. This was followed by a career in the Portuguese and European banking sector as Head of Marketing, Innovation and Direct Channels at Banco Espírito Santo; an executive member of the Board of Directors at Novo Banco, with responsibility for retail, digital channels, marketing, communications and credit; and, more recently, as Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer and a member of the Executive Board of Banco CTT, where he led the areas of Strategy, Digital Channels and Innovation, Quality and Process Improvement, Commercial Network, Partnerships, Marketing and Communication.

“Over more than four decades, SIBS has built something that few European operators have managed to achieve: a culture of innovation that is genuinely ingrained. This DNA is our main competitive asset and the starting point for what we want to build,” says João Mello Franco, CEO of the SIBS Group, adding that “my ambition is clear: to strengthen SIBS’s leadership in the Portuguese market, whilst continuing to raise the standards of quality and innovation that set us apart. It is on this solid foundation, on the trust in the solutions we have developed for the domestic market, that our ambition to be an undeniable European benchmark rests, sharing our experience with other regions in a sustained manner. The challenges ahead of us are demanding, but the team, the technology and the trust that the Portuguese people place in SIBS give me every confidence that we are prepared to face them and turn them into opportunities. But no strategy can be executed without people, and leading SIBS is, first and foremost, a responsibility towards all those who build this company every day.”

“At a time when the European payments sector is facing an extremely demanding regulatory and competitive landscape, the appointment of João Mello Franco reflects the Group’s strategic priorities: to strengthen our relationship with our domestic customers as a reliable, innovative and efficient partner, strengthening our position as a European leader in payments, rigorously executing our international expansion and ensuring that SIBS continues to create sustainable value for its shareholders and for the markets in which it operates”, says Vítor Fernandes, Chairman of the SIBS Group, adding that “His profile combines significant financial experience, digital vision and a proven ability to lead in highly complex and large-scale contexts. With a strong and cohesive executive team, we are well positioned for this next cycle.”