Hans Morris Joins General Atlantic as Head of Global Financial Services Sector

GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- General Atlantic LLC (GA), a leading global growth equity firm, today announced that Hans Morris, former president of Visa Inc. and a special advisor for GA over the last year, has been named Managing Director and Head of GA's global financial services sector.

William E. Ford, chief executive officer of General Atlantic, said, "We know Hans well and recognize how valuable his industry expertise and operating experience is to the financial services companies in which we invest. We consider the global financial services industry as particularly attractive and an excellent fit with our growth equity investment strategy. Hans will add a new dimension to our successful financial services team and we are very pleased that he will lead our effort."

Mr. Morris added, "One of the distinct comments about General Atlantic that I have heard from many financial services executives is the firm's insight to the future path of the industry and GA's existing portfolio demonstrates that well. We have a very strong team that is able to identify and as investors, capitalize on the key developments shaping the global financial services landscape."

In 2010 alone, GA has invested nearly $1.7 billion in growth equity, of which nearly $1 billion was dedicated to leading financial services companies First Republic Bank, Pierpont Securities and Markit, among others.  With a target investment size of between $50 million and $500 million, GA invests about $2 billion per year in growth opportunities globally, and manages approximately $15 billion in capital. Additional current and prior portfolio companies in the financial services sector include BM&FBovespa, GETCO, Saxo Bank, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), CME (NYMEX), NYSE Euronext (Archipelago) and E*Trade, among others.

Mr. Morris served as president of Visa Inc. from 2007-2009, having been recruited to Visa as it completed a reorganization which merged several separate businesses into a new company.  In March of 2008, Visa completed an offering of 51% of the company for $19.7 billion, the largest IPO in U.S. history.  Mr. Morris' primary responsibilities included managing Visa's regions and overseeing all sales and marketing.

Mr. Morris previously spent 27 years at Citigroup and its predecessor companies in several operating and management roles.  In his final position, he was CFO and head of finance, technology and operations for Citi Markets and Banking.  From 2000 until 2002, he was vice Chairman, chief operating officer, and head of client management of the Investment Banking division at Salomon Smith Barney, and for many years he was the head of the financial institutions group within the investment bank.

Mr. Morris graduated from Dartmouth College, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, a trustee of Jacobs Pillow, and a member of the Board of Overseers at the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. GA combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great management and build exceptional businesses worldwide. Established in 1980, GA manages approximately $15 billion in capital and has more than 75 investment professionals based in Greenwich, New York, Palo Alto, London, Düsseldorf, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai and Sao Paulo. For further information and a listing of GA's public and private portfolio companies see www.generalatlantic.com.

SOURCE General Atlantic LLC