MasterCard confirms NFC expert to join company
In a statement released today, MasterCard WorldWide confirmed that NFC expert Mung-Ki Woo has been hired as Group Executive, Mobile.
Woo's move from France Telecom-Orange Group to MasterCard was reported last week but neither Orange nor MasterCard would discuss the news.
Today's release not only confirms that Woo will be a part of MasterCard's mobile payments efforts, but also points towards MasterCard's continuing development of an NFC mobile payment product. During his career, Woo has led several pilot mobile payment programs using contactless NFC methods in Europe and Africa.
"Mobile is a critically important strategic initiative for MasterCard," Chief Emerging Payments Officer Ed McLaughlin said in the release. "Consumers are quickly growing more comfortable with using their mobile devices for search, shopping and payments."
Woo's hiring is effective January 24, 2011. He will be based out of MasterCard's headquarters in Purchase, N.Y.