Hans Morris Named General Atlantic Special Advisor With a Focus on the Financial Services Sector

GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- General Atlantic LLC (GA), a leading global growth equity firm, today announced that Hans Morris, former president of Visa Inc., has been appointed as a Special Advisor to the firm. Mr. Morris will provide strategic counsel to GA and its portfolio companies with a focus on the financial services sector, supporting the firm's global growth equity investment program.

Founded in 1980, GA is an active global growth investor with a long history of identifying, investing in and supporting growth companies in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Asia, including current and prior investments in several financial services firms, including BM&FBovespa, GETCO, Saxo Bank, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), CME (NYMEX) and NYSE Euronext (Archipelago). GA is co-leading the recently announced purchase of First Republic Bank from Bank of America, a transaction expected to close in the first half of 2010. With a target investment size of $50 million to $500 million, GA manages approximately $14 billion and invests between $1.5 billion and $2 billion per year in growth opportunities globally.

Bill Ford, chief executive officer of General Atlantic, said, "We are pleased to have Hans join our GA finance team in a senior role. Along with his other business pursuits, Hans will be an important contributor in evaluating new investment opportunities and developing our strategic plan for the sector. His knowledge of the financial services industry and leadership experience will add great value to our leadership position in this important area."

Mr. Morris added, "General Atlantic's global reach and focus on growth seem just right in the current environment. I am one of the people who expect very significant changes to the financial services industry over the next several years. I look forward to being an active participant with the GA team taking advantage of this reshaping and working with GA's portfolio companies to help them achieve their growth initiatives."

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 and a trustee of Jacobs Pillow.

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 $14 billion in capital and has more than 75 investment professionals based in Greenwich, New York, Palo Alto, London, Dusseldorf, 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.

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SOURCE General Atlantic LLC