GFG Group appoints business development manager for Asia, commits to strengthening regional Asian hub
Auckland, New Zealand. 05 March 2014. New Zealand-headquartered international electronic payments software solutions company GFG Group has appointed
Katherine David to the position of Regional Business Development Manager, Asia, based in the Philippines.
Katherine David is responsible for driving sales and providing support to new and existing customers in the Asian
region, with a particular focus on sales of GFG Group’s FINsim testing tool. Katherine reports to GFG Group’s Global
Head of FINsim Sales, Ewan Wilson.
GFG Group has an established customer base in Southeast Asia and is experiencing a growing demand for its payments
solutions here and across the wider Asian region, Ewan Wilson says. Katherine David’s appointment was made in
anticipation of a growth in sales in the region and also underlines GFG Group’s commitment to investing in and
strengthening its office in the Philippines to create a regional hub to consolidate the company’s presence in the Asian
region and provide support for existing customers and new business demand.
With over 16 years’ experience in the Asian market, Katherine David has extensive relationship and product management,
business development and marketing experience spanning the financial services, electronic payments, mobile services,
internet and telecommunications industries. Before joining GFG Group, Katherine was senior manager for business
development and product at regional online payment service and solutions provider AsiaPay Limited, managing the
company’s overall product development and business partnerships with banks, financial institutions and key payment
service providers across Asia. She has worked in similar roles for companies including Standard Chartered Bank
Philippines, BancNet, Chikka Philippines, and Reach Network Services.
Ewan Wilson says Katherine David is the ideal choice to champion GFG Group’s business development efforts in Asia:
“Katherine has deep knowledge and experience of the Asian market and she has worked with key banking and corporate
clients Asia-wide. Together with her fresh approach, industry qualifications and contacts, Katherine’s contribution to
the GFG Group team and our growth plans for the Asian market is invaluable.”
GFG Group CEO, Andreas Kazamias, confirms the company’s commitment to strengthening the regional Asian hub in the
Philippines, where GFG Group has had a sales presence for over 10 years, helping to support a growing Asia-Pacific
customer base.
“The Asian region, specifically Southeast Asia and the Pacific, is a strategically important geography for GFG Group. We
have many longstanding clients here and we have been experiencing a continually growing demand for all of GFG Group’s
payment solutions – specifically cards and mobile payments, and in recent years increased demand for our FINsim testing
tool. Appetite in the region for complete, sophisticated payment offerings is high – and GFG Group’s dedicated focus on
providing holistic payment solutions is a key point of difference for us. We have been working tirelessly to establish
strategic partner relationships that enable us to offer our existing customers and prospects end-to-end, high quality,
reasonably priced services and solutions that meet their needs. The next step is to invest in and strengthen a regional
office to better support our growth plans and enable us to easily and cost-effectively provide enhanced sales and
support services to existing customers and prospects across Asia. We believe the Philippines is the ideal, central
location for us to do this,” Andreas Kazamias says.
Katherine David is relishing the opportunity to work for GFG Group and help the company expand its payment solutions
across Asia: “I was attracted to the opportunity to join a team of recognised payments experts with extensive experience
and knowledge, and who are well-respected in the industry. GFG Group has an impressive portfolio of clients and
customers across the Asia Pacific, that are leaders in their respective markets, and I’m proud to be a part of this
organisation.
“Asia is such an exciting and diverse region; it’s undergoing remarkable growth with banks, financial institutions and
payment providers eager to take advantage of the advances in technology and payments to deliver quality service and
convenience to customers. And there are interesting opportunities in developed countries as well as in Asia’s emerging
markets.
“With all the advances happening in technology, we are seeing more complex financial transaction types being used across
multiple systems and devices. Testing tools are more crucially important than ever to ensure the seamless delivery of
services across multiple platforms. My objective is to be able to leverage on the developments that are taking place
across Asia and further expand the customer base of GFG Group’s FINsim testing tool. Consumers today are more demanding
and expect a certain standard of access to payment services. With FINsim, we aim to provide our clients with the
capability to ensure they can seamlessly and successfully roll out services in a manner that is expected by their
customers,” Katherine David says.